G1 Transformers--New Additions to the Family
by BBPRIMEFAN101
Summary: Optimus and Elita celebrate the end of the great war by...bonding. And when the news is given that Elita-1 is with twins, a whole new adventure for the Autobot leader begins.
1. Sparklings

**New Additions to the Family—A Transformers G1 Fan Fiction**

**Summary: Elita-1 is with twins, and a whole new adventure for Optimus Prime begins.**

The day the Autobots had long awaited for, had finally arrived.

The war was finally over.

And it ended, surprisingly, with a diplomatic solution. Megatron had finally gotten tired of losing battle after battle with Optimus Prime, and had agreed to meet with him, where they settled their terms, shook hands, and the war was no more. Since there was no longer a reason to protect earth from any Decepticon threats, both factions decide to leave and return to their home planet. The Autobots had a large celebration across Cybertron, which Optimus generously invited Megatron and the Decepticons to, and they accepted. Despite the continuation of the factions, there were no arguments, no fights, and no spilled Energon. All was at peace at last. Even Megatron and Starscream made up.

Among the first to greet the returning Autobots were the femmes: Chromia, Firestar, Moonracer, and Elita-1. Chromia was eager to reunite with Ironhide, Moonracer was ecstatic to be with Power-Glide again, Firestar was overjoyed and jumped into Inferno's arms, and Elita-1 was absolutely enraptured to reunite with her lover, Optimus Prime. The two leaders of their squads were both happy that the war was finally over. And what better way for them to celebrate than to bond sparks. Prime and Elita left the world-wide celebration early, snuck away to Optimus's quarters, barricaded the door, closed the windows, and they rolled around on his berth, letting their sparks bond together, moaning pleasurably, clinging to one another's chasses, living the night like it was their last. Only, thank Primus, it wasn't.

Two mega-cycles (weeks) after Elita-1 and Optimus Prime had bonded their sparks, Elita had been complaining of odd feelings. These odd feelings also led to sudden changes of emotion, which Optimus was often the victim of; and Elita-1 would consume large amounts of Energon goodies, even when she didn't need to. These bizarre habit went on for a couple mega-cycles until both Optimus Prime and Elita became worried, so they both headed off to the infirmary to talk to Ratchet, a skilled medic during the war and old friend of Prime.

"Now, what can I do for you two today?" Ratchet asked as Elita-1 took a seat on the berth in the examination room.

"Well," Optimus began, "for the past few mega-cycles, Elita has been experiencing...odd phases."

Ratchet raised a mechanical brow at him. "_Odd phases_? How do you mean, odd?"

"She's had sudden changes in emotions. For instance, she'd get upset over little things. And she'd hit me in the head, saying it's my fault."

"I told you I was sorry," Elita said with an exasperated sigh.

"I know, I know," Optimus said. "Plus, she been consuming large amounts of Energon than she really needs. And, she's purged a few times, but usually during the morning micro-cycles." (hours)

Ratchet nodded as he listened to what Optimus Prime had to say. "And you said this has been going on for a few mega-cycles?" Both Prime and Elita nod. "And did you two do anything before these so-called phases?" Optimus and Elita looked at each other; they seemed a little embarrassed to say, but Ratchet somehow figured it out. "I see. Okay then. If you two could come with me." He opened the door, and Optimus and Elita-1 followed him to a larger room in the infirmary, where a large scanner was placed in the center. "Okay, Elita-1, if you could just stand right in the center and stand perfectly still." Elita did so, and Ratchet turned on the scanner, and an infrared light moved up and down her chassis.

"Ratchet, what is this device?" Optimus Prime asked.

"It scans the Energon-fluids inside of you for any biological changes," the medic explained.

"Now, how do you mean, changes?"

"Well, I'll let you know if my hypothesis is correct."

"What hypothesis?"

"What is causing these bizarre phases to happen to Elita." Then the scanner completed scanning Elita-1. "Okay. Now you two can return to the examination room while I go over the results, and I will give them to you as soon as I can." Optimus Prime and Elita thanked him then returned to their examination.

A nano-cycle (ten minutes) went by, and the Autobot leader and his lover began to worry. He began pacing the floor, becoming a little impatient while Elita anxiously squirmed on the berth. "What do you think the results are?" she asked.

"I am not entirely sure, but...we did bond a little under a deca-cycle (a month) ago...so do you think it's possible that-?" Before Prime could finish, Ratchet entered with a printed paper. "You have the results, Ratchet?"

"I do," the medic nodded. "Alright. Elita, I have gone over the scans of your Energon readings, and may I be the first to say...congratulations. To the both of you."

She just blinked her optics at him. "Congratulations?"

"For what?" Optimus asked.

Ratchet took a deep breath and announced, "Elita, you are with twins. And Optimus, you are a father."

Optimus's and Elita's optics widened. "_WHAT?!_"

~9 deca-cycles later~

Optimus Prime and his Autobot allies, along with Megatron and a few of his men, all sat together at the bar, listening to Moonracer sing, watching Chromia and Ironhide dance on the stage, having a few drinks, talking away about different things, and laughing. They never thought they'd all be laughing together.

"Oh, Prime. How's the Missus doing?" Jazz asked as he took down a shot.

"I guess she's alright," the Autobot leader replied with a sigh, stirring his glass. "She has been complaining of sharp, sudden pains, but other than that, okay."

"The twins are due any day now, aren't they?" asked Sideswipe.

"Yep," Prime nodded.

"You ready to be a father?" said Thundercracker.

Prime weakly chuckled. "I know I've had nine deca-cycles now to prepare myself, but honestly I do not know if I am."

He felt a pat on the back, and looked over to see Megatron resting a hand on his shoulder. "I am sure you will be a great father, Optimus Prime," he said with a smile.

Optimus smiled behind his face mask and grabbed Megatron's hand. "Thank you, my friend. Thank you all for being there for me."

"Any time, Prime," said Bumblebee. "You know we're always there for you; even if you need us to deliver dry ice packs for your sore helm." They all went into a fit of laughter while Optimus sheepishly rubbed his head and slightly flushed.

Then he heard the static of his comm. link. "Just a klik, gentlemen," he said and answered. "Prime here..." The others could see his optics were filled with worry. "Elita why are you breathing so heavily? Is everything al..." Then they watched his eyes light up in surprise. "Oh, Primus!"

"What?!" Hound said eagerly.

"A-Are you at the infirmary already?! The emergency room. A-Alright. Alright, I am on my way, right now!" He quickly stood up and _jumped _over the table.

"Whoa, Prime, what's the hurry?!" Starscream exclaimed.

"Elita-1 is in labor!" Optimus replied, a bit louder than intended, because then the entire bar went silent.

"Alright, way to go, Prime!" Ironhide shouted as the boss-bot fled the bar and the others cheered.

Optimus Prime ran as fast as he could before transforming into his vehicle mode and drove straight for the emergency room, honking his horn as he sped through the streets. "Everyone, clear a path! My wife is having twins!" he hollered as Autobots and Decepticons jumped out of the way, and once they heard him saying Elita was in labor, they celebrated and congratulated them both.

Once he got to the emergency room, he transformed into robot mode and raced inside. The femme at the desk said Elita-1 was in room S-3E and he headed down the hall. But he unexpectedly felt like he was falling, and everything suddenly went black.

Prime awoke with a splitting headache and the sound of himself moaning. The room was spinning a little and it took a while for his optics to adjust. He spent a moment trying figure out where he was, and he realized he was laying down on a berth in a room. He gasped and quickly sat up.

"Easy, Prime," said a familiar voice, and a bot came to the side of his berth.

"R-Ratchet...?" Optimus said.

"Yep. You took a nasty fall, Optimus," the medic explained. "Guess you got a little excited and tripped. I found you unconscious outside of Elita's room."

Optimus chuckled as he rubbed his optics. "Good. I thought I must've drank too much. Elita...is she...?"

"She's just fine," said another familiar voice. A female voice.

"E-Elita?" Optimus said as he slipped down from the berth. He drew back the curtain that divided two beds and saw Elita laying in the berth next to his. He sighed of relief to see she was alright. "Thank Primus that you are safe."

Elita smiled. "Yes. Me and the girls."

"Girls?" Optimus then realized Elita-1 was cradling two masses of blankets, and wrapped up in them were two tiny sparklings, both of them with a femme-like appearance and the same chassis shape.

"Elita-1 gave birth to two healthy female sparklings," said Ratchet.

Optimus Prime, for the first time in his life, was speechless and motionless, and Elita and Ratchet laughed. "Don't be shy, Optimus," said Elita-1. "Come and see your daughters."

Prime slowly approached her bedside and glanced at each of the infants. One of them had a light red color scheme, much lighter than his, and had pigtail appendages of the same shade. This one was fast asleep with her thumb in her mouth while the second was beginning to fuss a little. The second was a bright green color scheme with a ponytail appendage on the top of her helm. Optimus felt his spark flutter. "They are...beautiful," he gasped.

They heard a knock at the door, and they saw the Autobots and Decepticons crowding around the door, begging to come in and see the sparklings. Ratchet looked to Elita, who said it was alright as long as they were quiet, and he allowed them inside, threatening to hit them with a wrench if they were too loud. They spread out around Elita's berth, giving her enough room, and they stared in awe at the infants.

"They're so cute," whispered Chromia. "Aren't they, Ironhide?"

"They sure are," the war veteran nodded.

"What are their names?" Bee eagerly asked.

"Well, Prime and I decided we'd name them based on what they look like or how they first behave," Elita explained and then glanced down at the sleeping, light red sparkling. "This one shall be named...Serena. Because she's peaceful and calm and gentle, but I am sure she will also be strong in her own way." Then she looked to the fussy, green sparkling. "She will be named Emerald. A very dominant color, but also beautiful. I'm sure she'll be stubborn, but enough to manage."

"Serena and Emerald. I think those are perfect names," said Mirage. Suddenly the little femme sparkling named Emerald began to cry and kick, and everyone went "aww."

"Here, let me see her," said Optimus. He carefully lifted the crying sparkling, keeping her wrapped up in the blanket to keep her warm, and he cradled her. She was small enough to fit in his hands, but he held her in the crook of his servo, keeping a hand underneath. "Shhh. There, there, little one. It's alright," he whispered. Then little Emerald's crying reduced to whimpers and sniffles as she opened her bright blue optics, blinking them rapidly, then looking up. At first she speared to wonder who or what she was looking at, but a feeling in her newly created spark told her trust this giant. She wriggled a tiny servo out from under the blanket and reached up, cooing and wiggling her tiny fingers. Optimus faintly chuckled and gently grasped her tiny hand. "You know who I am, Emerald?" he asked her. "I am your father. And I promise you, that I and your mother will do whatever it takes to make you and your sister happy, and to keep you safe. You have my word." He could feel joyous tears flood his optics and spill down his face, and he didn't care if the others saw.

There was no doubt about it; this was the happiest day of Optimus Prime's life.


	2. Welcome Home

**New Additions to the Family—A Transformers G1 Fan Fiction**

**Summary: Little Emerald is a restless sparkling, especially when it comes to bedtime, and it also leaves the new father restless as well.**

Elita-1 sat in the trailer, cradling the newly born sparklings and holding them close to her chest plate, while Optimus transformed into vehicle mode and drove them back to their quarters. They had a brief argument about how they would journey home back at the emergency room. Elita wanted to walk so the twins could see their home planet for the first time, but Optimus _insisted_ she rode inside his trailer, saying she must be exhausted and needed to rest. They scolded a little, Elita smacked him upside the helm (again), and Optimus scowled. However, the Prime was successful in the debate when Ratchet proved his points and recommended she ride in the trailer. And of course, little sparklings Serena and Emerald were safe, laying around on Elita's hospital berth, during their parents' brief altercation.

"How are the twins, Elita?" Optimus asked.

"Still sleeping," Elita informed him. "Yet little Emmie is still a bit fussy."

"I am certain she will settle once we arrive home."

Elita-1 smiled and leaned against the inner wall of the trailer. "I cannot believe it. We are actually starting a family."

Optimus chuckled. "I know."

"I mean, this has always been a dream of ours, even before the great war. And it's still hard to believe that dream has now become a reality. I am a mother, and you are a father."

"I, myself, am still absorbing all that has happened today," Optimus said, then laughed at himself. "And I knew if I wouldn't go offline from excitement and joy, then I would of worry."

"Unless you trip yourself," Elita said with a giggle and Optimus laughed again. "Oh, don't laugh so loud, you'll wake up the girls."

"Sorry," Prime said and continued through the streets of Cybertron. By the time the sun had disappeared halfway below the horizon, the new parents and their sparklings arrived home. Optimus transformed, Elita climbed out of the trailer, and they head into their home. "We will share many moments together in this structure," he said.

"Indeed." Then Elita-1 felt tense wriggling in her arms and looked down, gasping. "Oh, look who are awake," she cooed as the tiny sparkling twins rubbed their optics and began looking around. While Serena gazed at above her, Emerald looked below. When Serena looked left, Emerald looked to the right.

Optimus chuckled. "I have a feeling they will definitely be opposites in some ways," he said smiling behind his face mask and Elita-1 nodded in agreement. They entered their home and gathered in the living room. All around were little toy and gadgets for the sparklings; courtesy of Wheeljack. Elita sat the twins on the floor amongst their new toys while she and Prime relaxed and watched them from the couch. "As much as parenting will be difficult, I only hope it will be fun."

"Oh, it will," Prime's mate replied. "Especially when I see you embarrass yourself when you have to play with the kids."

"Oh, I will keep that in mind," Optimus smirked, "when YOU make a fool of yourself."

"We'll see, Optimus Prime."

They watched the sparkling examine the new toys they have, dropping one and moving on to another. Emerald picked a teddy bear made of aluminum, but cuddly all the same, and she saw Serena with a robotic dinosaur. She immediately became interested, dropped the bear and snatched the dino-toy from her twin. Serena then began to cry, and she snatched it back. Emmie whined angrily and took it back, then kicking Serena in the leg. Serena cried harder and pushed Emerald away, causing her green-shaded twin to start crying as well.

Both parents sighed, somehow knowing this would happen. "I've got this," Elita said, knelt down between her daughters and pulled them close to hug. "There, there, dearest sparklings. It's alright. You two just need to learn to share. Emerald, it wasn't nice to take the toy from your sister and kicking her. And Serena, you shouldn't take things back and push Emmie down." They both blinked fresh Energon tears and whimpered. "Now, why doesn't Emerald play with the dino-toy, and," Elita continued as she reached for the aluminum bear, "you, Serena, can play with this. Ohh, Mr. Bear wants to snuggle!" she cooed and gently wiggled the bear in front of Serena. The pigtailed twin giggled and hugged the bear, cuddling it, and Emerald played with the dino-toy. Seeing the twins are happy again, Elita sat back on the couch next to Prime. "Problem solved." Optimus just rolled his optics, pretending to act unimpressed.

Then, he felt something hard hit him in the head, and it landed in his lap. "_OWW!_" Rubbing his helm, he looked down to see a metal cube, and he heard little Emerald laughing and clapping. He got a little angry, but it subsided instantly and he sighed with a smile. "She's got a good arm," he mumbled and let the cube slip from his hand and land on the floor with a _clank!_ But Emerald found another toy and threw it at him again; only this time he caught it. He couldn't help but let out a laugh when he saw a look of disappointment and a pouting lip on Emmie's face.

Prime and Elita let their children play until they say them becoming tired. Elita-1 picked up Serena while Optimus took Emerald in his arms, and they carried them to their room. Since the twins were very little, and their own rooms were still under construction, the parents decided to let the sparklings bunk with them for a while. At least until their rooms were finished. The couple laid on their berths, placed the sparkling they carried on their chests, and they went into recharge for the night.

* * *

Late that night, Optimus suddenly awoke to something tickling his foot. He awoke to find Emerald no longer on his chest, but down by his feet. He chuckled, picked her up and laid her beside him. "Now, get some sleep, little one," he whispered and went to sleep again, only to be woken up again by little Emmie patting his helm and cooing. "Go to sleep, Emerald," he said barely above a mumble.

But the little sparkling kept crawling around him, and over him, unable to sit still. Soon, Optimus found himself unable to rest, so he eventually gave up trying, sat up, picked up Emerald and took her downstairs. He looked out the window to see a dark sky full of stars and sighed. "You should be asleep, like your sister. I should be asleep, like my wife. But you insist on playing at this hour," he grumbled, but Emerald just beamed a smile he couldn't be mad at. He nearly dozed off while he watched her play with the toys from the couch in the living room, and after nearly half a micro-cycle, she still wouldn't sleep.

"Maybe you're hungry. Are you hungry, Emerald?" A faint growl coming from the sparkling's fuel tank confirmed she needed Energon. Optimus sat her in her high chair at the table and made her a bottle of Energon. The second he handed it to her, she snatched it from his hands and drank it down. "I guess you were hungry," Prime mumbled to himself as he watched the bright pink fluid disappear from the bottle to down the infant's throat. Not long after Emerald finished the bottle, she began to cry.

"Oh, what's wrong?" Optimus asked, beginning to worry. "Does your tummy hurt? Perhaps you drank that Energon too quickly." He lifted Emerald from her high chair, rested her over his shoulder and patted her on the back. He managed to get her to burp, and she spat up a little; but afterwards Emmie began to feel better, and best of all, she began to feel sleepy. Optimus sighed of relief as he carried the yawning sparkling back up to their room, laid back down on his berth, and placed Emerald in the crook of his arm, and father and daughter fell asleep together.


	3. Play Time

**New Additions to the Family—A Transformers G1 Fan Fiction**

**Summary: 3 deca-cycles after their birth, the twins begin saying their first words, take their first steps, and Prime and Elita make total fools of themselves while playing games with their daughters. **

"Open up, Serena," Elita-1 cooed as she swerved a spoonful of Energon sparkling food in front of little Serena. "Here comes the spaceship, ready for landing!" She made plane noises as she drew the spoon closer and closer to Serena's mouth. The giggling, pigtailed infant opened her mouth and closed it once the spoon was inside, and she happily ate the goodies. "Good girl. How's it going with Emmie, Optimus?"

"Uh...alright!" Optimus Prime called as he scurried around the living room, trying to catch little Emerald. "Emmie, PLEASE come here! I need to put your diaper on!" But the ponytailed, green sparkling just squeaked and giggles as she crawled around on the floor, under tables, and into places Optimus couldn't reach. "Phew...for a crawler, she is fast. Emerald, come here at once!" Not even his serious tone got the child to stop. He sighed exhaustedly ran a hand over his face when an idea suddenly dawned on him. Optimus let out a dramatic sigh, slumped down onto the couch, hid his face in his hands and began to cry. "_Boo-hoo-hoo_!"

This got Emerald's attention. She came out from her little hiding spot and crawled over to the couch, wondering why her father was so sad. Elita watched from the kitchen and tried to hide a smile, knowing what Optimus was up to. Emmie used the couch for support to get to her feet and tilted her helm in wonder. Prime peeked at her through his fingers while he continued to cry. "_Boo-hoo-hoo_! Emmie won't let me change her! Now I am sad! I am very, very sad! _Boo-hoo-HOO_!" Little Emmie drew a little closer when suddenly—"Gotcha!" Optimus snatched her up, laid her in his lap and slipped the metallic diaper on. "Ha-ha! Optimus Prime is victorious!" Emerald whined and made a face that said 'Not fair!', but Optimus just laughed and sat her on the floor, then headed into the kitchen.

"Not bad, Prime," Elita chuckled as she finishes feeding Serena. "Never thought I'd see you do that."

"I'm a father," Optimus said as he took Serena's bib off. "I am supposed to be silly."

"But you are THE Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots during the great war. I doubt you had any time for fun," Elita-1 taunted while she lifted Serena from her high chair and placed her on the floor.

Optimus felt challenged. "I have so had time! My human friend Spike Witwicky taught me this earth game called 'basketball'. I and the Autobots rather enjoyed it. And what about you? I doubt _you_ had time for any fun, being among the few of the remaining female Autobots."

Elita scoffed. "Please. Me and the girls have had plenty of time. We would play around while we would try and escape Shockwave and his goons, and while we would search for our new base. You've no idea because you were never there."

"I did have things to take care of on earth, you know," Optimus informed her.

"I know, I know," Elita-1 sighed. "But...would it have killed you to come and say hi every now and then?"

"Ever since that explosion, I thought you were dead, Elita. But you must know," Optimus said as he took her hand, "that every day since then, I have spent my time thinking about you, and the dream we've wanted to share."

Elita moaned happily with a smile. "Oh, you," she said with a giggle and kissed him. The twins were in the living room messing around with their toys when they noticed Optimus and Elita kissing. Emerald scrunched up her face, making Serena giggle. "Oh, Optimus, quit. The kids can see us!"

"See!"

Optimus and Elita-1 blinked at one another. "Who said that?" he asked.

"See!"

They both looked into the living room and saw Emerald sitting there with the silliest grin on her face while Serena tilted her helm. "D-Did one of you just say-?"

"See!"

They realized that word had come from the mouth of the green sparkling. "Optimus...she is talking words," Elita-1 gasped while grins grew on their faces.

"See!" Emmie chirped again.

Elita laughed. "Yes! You saw Mommy and Daddy kissing?"

"See, see!" Emerald cheered and bounced around.

Optimus chuckled as he went to her, scooped her up and tossed her in the air, making her squeal and giggle. "That's my girl!"

"Optimus! Look at Serena! She's standing on her own!" Elita pointed to Emerald's twin, who was wobbling a little on her feet, but standing tall. Then Serena began slowly taking tiny steps forward. "She is walking! Optimus, our daughters are walking and talking!"

"See!" Emerald squeaked.

"Yes, you see your sister walking?" Optimus said. Serena managed to take a few more steps before losing balance and plopping back on her rear. She apparently had reached the aluminum bear, grabbed it and cuddled.

Elita-1 giggled joyously as she picked Serena up into her arms. "Mama is so proud of you, my sweetspark," she cooed.

"Ma?" came a tiny voice. Elita gasped and looked to the sparkling in her arms. "Ma." The word came from Serena's mouth, and the infant rested her tiny hand on Elita-1's chest plate.

The femme bot laughed. "Yes, I am Ma."

"Mama!"

"Yes, I am your Mama!"

"Mama!" Serena peeped.

Optimus grinned behind his battle mask. "We have to brag about this."

"Why don't we take Serena and Emmie to the new park in downtown Iacon for a celebration?" Elita insisted. "After all, they don't go outside very much."

"Excellent idea," Prime agreed. "Off we go!" They left the house and headed for Iacon. Right in the middle of the city was a large play area. It was divided in half; one side was for the younglings, and the other for hatchlings and sparklings. It was still pretty early in the morning, so not many younglings were out. Optimus Prime and Elita-1 entered the half for the sparklings and sat their daughters down. The twins were fascinated by their surroundings and immediately took off crawling around to explore. Optimus followed Emerald while Elita followed Serena.

Little Serena had her optics the slide and tried climbed up the metallic steps. "Oh, let Mama help you," Elita cooed as she grabbed Serena by her tiny hands and lifted her up to her feet. "Okay, Serena, lift your foot," she said. Serena grunted and did so, and Elita lifted her up to the next step. "Good job, sweetspark! Keep on going." Serena continued to lift her foot up onto the next step, and her mother would lift her up so she could climb up the next one, all the way to the top. "Good job, Serena! Now, all you gotta do is slide down. I will catch you," Elita said as she stood at the bottom of the slide with her arms out. "Come on, Serena!" The pigtailed sparkling seemed a little nervous, but she slid all the way down, squealing the entire time, and when she reached the bottom, Elita grabbed her and swooped her up. "Yay, Serena! You went down the slide all by yourself!" Serena giggled and clapped, then she pointed to the steps. "Oh, you wanna go again? Let's go again!"

While Elita and Serena were at the slides, Optimus and Emerald were crawling in, out, over and under the playground equipment. Prime was chasing his daughter; again. And just like before, he had difficulty in keeping up with her. "Emmie," he said with a laugh, "slow yourself down!" Eventually he tired, but Emerald continued crawling in circles. Then an idea came to him, and he crept on his hands and knees in the opposite direction Emerald was going. He hid behind a piece of playground equipment and waited for Emerald to come around. He heard her cooing and pattering getting louder and louder until he saw her shadow. "Gotcha!" he exclaimed when she came around, and he gently grabbed her, placed her in his lap and began to tickle her. "Cootchie cootchie coo!" He had learned of this human game back on earth when his human friends Spike and Carly were on top of Bumblebee and caressing him under his arm joints and on his stomach; and he admitted it looked like fun. The sparkling wriggled and shrieked giggles, kicking and flaring her arms, however she was unable to break free.

"Well, well," said a voice. Optimus ceased tickling his daughter and looked up to see his Autobot friends and Megatron with a few of his men standing on the other side of the gate. "Ain't that a sight for sore optics," said Ironhide.

"Oh," Optimus stammered while flushing a little. "H-Hello, everyone," he said and quickly got up, hitting his helm on a monkey bar. "_D'OWW!_"

The Bots and Cons laughed. "Oh, don't mind us, Prime," said Prowl. "We were just walking by and we saw you and Elita here. A bit early, isn't it?"

Optimus groaned a chuckle while he rubbed his head, approaching them and cradling Emerald in his arm. "Yes, it is, but the girls deserved it." He looked down at his daughter and smiled behind his battle mask. "Emmie, you see our friends?"

Emerald looked to them and held her hand out to them. "See!" she peeped.

The cluster of Autobots and Decepticons exclaimed in awe. "She's talking already?!" Jazz exclaimed. "Man! And only 3 deca-cycles old!"

"That's swell, Prime," Bumblebee said smiling.

"Thank you, Bumblebee."

"Bee!" Emerald squealed.

The yellow bot laughed. "Hey, she said my name!"

Emmie giggled and clapped her hands. "Bee, Bee, Bee!"

"Aww. You're so cute," Bumblebee cooed and gave Emerald's belly a tickle, causing her to giggle and kick.

Optimus Prime chuckled. "Yes. Emerald is talking, and Serena is learning to walk already," he said, gesturing to the slide where Elita was riding down with little Serena in her lap. Emerald began to get a little fussy and squirmed in Optimus's arms, so he sat her down by his feet. "I tell you, only 3 deca-cycles old, and they're already growing up."

"What is the hardest thing about being a parent, Prime?" asked Hound.

"Ah, that's a tough one," Optimus replied with a laugh and the others joined him. "Well, the toughest thing would have to be getting them to sit still. Serena is much easier while Emmie absolutely refuses to keep her aft on the floor." He looked down at his feet only to find Emerald no longer there. "Oh-! Where's Emerald gone?!"

"Uh, I believe I know," said Megatron, looking down at the ground. They all glanced down to see little Emmie sitting beside Megatron's feet. The ponytailed sparkling cooed and snuggled his leg, and Megatron wore a funny smile.

"It appears that the little tyke has grown fond of you, Megatron," Starscream said and he and the other Decepticons snickered. Megatron playfully glared at them, then he bent down and picked up the sparkling. Little Emerald beamed a smile and giggled.

Megatron chuckled. "You have an extremely outgoing daughter, Prime," he said, handing the green-shaded infant back to her father.

"So I've noticed," Optimus said, resting Emerald in the nook in his arm. "You naughty little thing. You gave Daddy a scare. Yes, you did," he cooed and played with her, prodding her enough to make her laugh. "You no sneak off like that, Emmie. No, no, no."

The Autobots and Decepticons couldn't help but laugh at Optimus's cooing. They had never seen him so silly in all the eons they've known him. This was a completely different side of him, rather than the side they've known during the war. It was funny, yet also sweet. And they weren't laughing at him; they just found his playfulness with his daughter adorable.

Same with Elita. Every minute or so they'd look behind Optimus to her and they'd giggle at her while she played with Serena. Elita-1, leader of the female Autobots during the great war, and sparkmate of Optimus Prime, was as playful and cooing as her lover with Emmie's twin. They watched her kneel down at the mouth of the slide, and when Serena would slide down and land in her arms, Elita would overly react happily and cheerfully. Of course, it made little Serena happy, so it wasn't all bad if not bad at all. The Autobots and Decepticons couldn't help but wonder if all parents acted like this towards their children. None of them knew because they weren't parents.

Prime heard them laughing and chuckled meekly, rubbing the back of his helm. "Oh, don't mind us. We weren't laughing at you," said Cliffjumper. "We just think it's cute."

"Right." After a while, the Bots and Cons agreed they'd go their separate ways for now. "Say goodbye, Emmie," Optimus said as she made Emerald wave.

"Bah," Emerald cooed.

"Bye," the Bots and Cons waved and they departed.

Optimus smiled and headed towards Elita-1. "How's the slide?"

Elita laughed an exhausted laugh. "Serena is just having a ball, while I might be having a spark attack," she said. "Serena can now climb the steps by herself."

"That's good. Where is she?"

"I saw her climbing the steps, but she hasn't come down yet." Elita-1 got to her feet, headed for the steps, and she saw Serena curled up at the top, napping with her thumb in her mouth. "Ohh, now isn't that the cutest sight?" She slowly and carefully scooped Serena up into her arms and cradled her. "I imagined she'd wear herself out climbing those steps. Looks like she ran out of juice."

Optimus chuckled and he noticed emerald beginning to yawn. "I'm sure Emmie is worn out from crawling around. And I'm tired from chasing her."

"So am I, from lugging Serena up the steps until she learned to do it herself." Both parents agreed it was time they headed home. The twins' room was finally all set up. Half of the room was bright pink, and the other was bright green, and a crib was placed on both halves with matching blankets. Elita laid Serena in the crib with the pink blanket on the pink half of the room, and Optimus laid Emerald in the crib with the green blanket on the green half of the room.

Once the twins were all tucked up and asleep, they quietly crept out and entered their own room, laying down on the same berth and cuddled together. Elita laid her hand on Optimus's chest over his spark while she rested her head on his shoulder. "Despite all the hard work," she said with a yawn, "being a parent is actually quite fun."

Optimus Prime yawned himself and nodded. "I agree. Even though this is a new experience for the both of us." Then they both hugged one another and slept. Until Emerald began whining and fussing. Optimus sighed.

"I got it."


	4. Tickletron!

**New Additions to the Family—A Transformers G1 Fan Fiction**

**Summary: Optimus Prime is left alone to take care of the twins while Elita-1 hangs out with friends. Things get off to a rough start, until he introduces his 8 deca-cycle old daughters to a new friend, and he goes by the name of...TICKLETRON!**

**(inspired by true events. This is what my step-father and I would do when I was really little)**

"Alright, I am going out!"

"Do you have to?"

"Optimus, I told you a hundred times already: I'm spending the night with the other female Autobots. It's only for a few micro-cycles."

"I know, but...I've never handled the twins on my own."

"Well now is your chance to know what it's like."

"Elita..." Optimus whined.

Prime's sparkmate turned around with a stern look. "Now look here, buster. I haven't had a night out ever since the girls were born. Let me have some fun while I still can."

Optimus sighed. "I understand what you mean, but—_OWW!_" He grabbed the back of his head after he felt something solid and sharp strike it, and he heard one of his daughters giggling and clapping. He didn't need to turn around to know it was Emerald, and he figured she threw another block.

"But, nothing." Elita-1 smiled as she approached him, grabbed his helm and kissed his forehead, as well as the spot Emmie threw the block at him. "You will be fine. You've been an excellent father so far. Besides, you spend most of your time with Emerald anyway. This could be some good bonding time with Serena."

"But—"

"I said, but nothing. You'll be okay for a few micro-cycles." Then they both heard the sound of an engine revving outside. "Oh, that's my ride! Bye, hon," She gave Optimus another kiss, then she went to the twins. "Bye bye, my sweetsparks," she cooed and kissed them, then she headed out the door. "I'll be back late. If the twins are not asleep by the time I get home, I'll make sure you'll sleep for an entire mega-cycle, Optimus Prime!"

Optimus sighed as he watched Elita drive off with Moonracer to meet Chromia and Firestar in downtown Iacon to spend the night together. One day, he'd get his revenge and leave her with the twins so he could hang out with his friends.

A loud clang disrupted his thoughts and made him jump. He quickly turned around and saw the twins had crawled into the kitchen and had gotten into the pots and pans. Serena was wearing a pot on her head and Emerald was clashing to pan lids together. "Hey, hey," he exclaimed and made a b-line towards them. "These are not for playing with. These are for cooking. It's not a hat, and they are not musical instruments." Prime had ease taking the pan lids from Emmie, however when he tried to take the pot off little Serena's head, the sparkling tot gripped the handle and wouldn't let go. "Serena, please let go."

"No!" the pigtailed infant exclaimed and held fast to the handle.

"The pot is not a hat, sweetspark."

"No!"

Optimus sighed and lifted the pot up, and Serena went up with it, still holding onto the handle. "Serena, let go of the pot. I am being serious now." Serena then pouted and gave Optimus's chest a kick. "Ow! That was not nice, Serena."

And with that, Prime tucked the bright-red sparkling under one arm and tried to remove the pot handle from her hands. But the sparkling only cried and refused to let go. "Serena Prime, if you do not give me the pot this instant, I will-!" He was silenced from words and exploded in laughter when he felt one of Serena's tiny hands wiggling under his arm. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA! S-SERENA-HAHAHAHA! NO, DON'T TICKLE, DON'T TICK-HAHAHAHAHAHA!" He lost his grip on the pot and was unable to hold onto Serena for much longer, so he sat the both of them down on the floor. And little Serena, satisfied she has the pot back, dragged it with her to their play area and placed the aluminum bear inside it.

Optimus, weak from laughter, sat himself on the floor. "Fine...play with the pot...I don't care." While Serena played with the pot, Prime watched Emerald stack a tower of blocks, then knock them down with the dino-toy and making roaring sounds. She swung the dino-toy; it slipped from her hands, and it collided with Optimus's face. "AH-OWW!" he yelped as he quickly sat up and covered his face with both hands. "Oww, oww, oww..."

Emerald thought he was crying and waddled over to him, using his shoulders for support. "So'ee," she mumbled, nuzzling him. She really meant 'sorry'. Emmie learned this word when her mother told her many times to say it after she had hit her twin with a toy or pulled her pigtail appendage.

Optimus waited for the pain to subside before removing his hands. "It's okay, Emmie. It slipped from your hands...although everything seems to target my head. But you gotta learn to not throw things, okay?"

"Tay," Emerald peeped. She wriggled her way through his arm and snuggled in his lap, and while he wasn't looking she slipped her hand under his arm like her sister.

Optimus began giggling and removed her hand. "Quit it, you, or you'll get a taste of your own medicine." That was when he had an idea. "How would you and your sister like to play a game?"

"Game!" Emerald squealed.

Serena perked her head up at that word. "Game? Game, game!" She and Emerald skipped around Optimus chanting that word, eager to know what game their father had in mind.

"Haha, okay, okay, settle down, you two," Prime said as he pulled his daughters into his lap. "Alright, little ones, listen closely. I have a friend who loves to play with little girl sparklings. He goes by the name of...Tickletron. He looks and sounds a lot like me. However, when he does play with you...he also tickles you!" The twins gasp simultaneously. "What you two have to do is hide somewhere. If he doesn't find you, you're safe. But if he does, he'll tickle you senseless!"

"No!" the twins giggled.

"Yes! He'll tickle you all over. Your bellies, your sides, your feet, under your arms, even your little noses! He's merciless!" Optimus grinned, then he playfully gasped. "Oh, no...I hear him coming. He knows you're here. Hurry, girls! Go hide! I'll hold him off!" Serena and Emerald squealed and waddled off through the house together, giggling excitedly. Optimus Prime chuckled as he got up from the floor and paced for a while, giving the girls a chance to hide.

Then after a moment, he began searching all over. He checked all of the downstairs area and didn't find them, but as he made his way up the stairs, he could hear them giggling. He smiled mischievously behind his battle mask as he reached the second floor. He followed the sounds of their giggles into his and Elita's quarters, and the second he entered the giggles ceased, and all was silent. For the moment anyway.

"I thought I heard the giggling of two little girls," he said slowly. "I love hearing little girls' giggles...especially when I tickle them! And I will when I find you...Oh, Serena. Emerald. Where are you?" The twins gasped from their hiding spot, wondering how Mr. Tickletron knew their names. "Are you two...hiding under your Daddy's bed?" Optimus looked under, even though he knew they weren't there. "Nooo...Well, what about your Mommy's bed?" He checked there too. "No...Oh...Could they be in the closet?" He grinned when he heard faint giggling. "Yes, they must be. Every child hides in the closet." He moved slowly toward the slightly ajar closet door, wiggling his fingers. The girls scurried as quietly as they could further into a corner, stifling their giggles while they huddled close to each other. "Oh, I know you're there...I can smell you...I can hear your giggles...and oh, you _will_ giggle, and scream, and laugh when you face...the mighty wrath...of Tickletron!"

He swung the closet door fully open and saw the twins huddled in the corner. They screamed excitedly and tried to get away, but Optimus, aka Mr. Tickletron, already had them in his grasp. Keeping them firmly in the crook of his arms, he dug his fingers into their bellies, and the twins went into hysterics. "Cootchie cootchie! I got your tummies! I got your ticklish tummies! Cootchie cootchie coo!"

Then he slid one hand down to Emerald's feet and one hand up to Serena's underarms. Emerald kicked and screamed and giggled, trying to wriggle free but couldn't. Little Serena pressed her arms against her sides, but it didn't stop Optimus's wiggling fingers from tickling her arm joints. "Ohh, little Emmie's feet are very ticklish! Serena's extremely ticklish under her arms! Cootchie coo!" Then he switched, tickling Serena's feet and Emmie's underarms, and the girls squealed and laughed louder and harder. "Ooh, you are ticklish there, too? Oh, this is such fun for Mr. Tickletron! Cootchie cootchie cootchie coo!"

The twins had laughed themselves to tears, and that was when they began to fight back. Serena then wiggled her tiny fingers against Optimus's side and stomach, and Emerald did the same under his arm. Prime ceased tickling them and went into a fit of laughter, falling to the ground with his daughters on top. "AHAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHO! SERENA-HAHAHA! EME-HAHAHAHA-EMERALD! STAHAHAHAHAP! M-MR. TICKLETRO-HAHAHAHAHAH-ON IS TOO TICKLISH! STOP, PLEHEHEHEHEASE!" But the mischievous twins didn't stop. They only continued to crawl all over him, swapping sides and continued to tickle him; little Emmie remembered one night and scampered down to his feet. Optimus went nuts. "AHA! AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA! EMMIE-HEEHEEHEEHEE! D-DON'T TICK-HAHAHAHAHAHA...DON'T TICKLE...M-MY FEET—AHAHAHAHA!" He began rolling around on the floor in a laughing mess with the girls holding fast. Eventually he couldn't handle much more and he succumbed to the tiny fingers digging into his armor. "Okahahahay...I-I gihihihive up! I surrender!"

Luckily, the twins became tired from tickling him so much and they laid on his chest, breathing heavily. Optimus chuckled as he watched his daughters grow sleepy and begin to yawn, as he did himself. "So...you two like this game?" he asked them. "You...*yawn* thought it was fun?"

"Fun..." the twins sleepily said.

Optimus smiled and laid his head back. "yes...I had fun, too..."

* * *

"I had fun, girls! We should do this again some time!" Elita-1 called as her female Autobot friends drove off. She waved to them then entered her home to find clutter all over the floor. "Oh, this place is a mess. How hard is it to keep a room clean? I'll have Optimus clean it up in the morning. I'm exhausted." She headed upstairs to check on the twins to find they are not in their beds. "What?" Then she looked into her room and stood in the doorway, staring at an adorable sight.

Fast asleep on the berth was Optimus Prime, with their daughters sleeping next to and on him. Emerald was laid by his side, her arms and legs stretched out while she snored, and Serena was curled up into a ball on Prime's chest, right over his spark. She knew they should be asleep in their own room, but it seemed too cruel to move them. It was the most adorable sighting she had seen.

Elita sighed with a smile. _On second thought, I'll take care of the mess in the morning,_ she thought. Creeping quietly, she kissed her sparkmate and her daughters, then laid down on her berth, falling asleep with a smile.


	5. Baby Sitters

**New Additions to the Family—A Transformers G1 Fan Fiction**

**Summary: Both parents are going out with friends to a dinner party, and they need someone to look after their little toddlers. And apparently, the only ones available...are the Dinobots. **

Optimus Prime and Elita-1 were fairly excited about tonight. They were going out to dinner with all their friends at the new dance club and restaurant that opened last deca-cycle called "Dancitron 2". Only this time, no one would be hypnotized and try to fight the Autobots. It had been such a long time since they had all gathered together and had the best night of their lives; especially for the parents, for they had spent most of their nights changing diapers, feeding, bathing, and playing with their twin daughters. But now little Serena and Emerald were not as little anymore, however still quite young. They were both 2-and-a-half ano-cycles old now.

In their room, Prime and Elita were getting themselves ready. "Oh, I'm so excited! I hear the food there is fantastic!" Elita giggled as she polished her armor.

"Well, everything there is of Energon-origin, so of course it's going to be appetizing," Optimus chuckled while giving himself a pain job. "Now, who is picking us up again?"

"Astrotrain," said Elita. "He's picking up our friends too, then he'll drop us off at the restaurant. He should be here within the micro-cycle."

"Right."

They both jumped at the sound of wailing. They turned towards their doorway to see Serena running in with tears streaming down her face. The parents knelt down to her height and comfort her. "Oh, my sweetspark, what's wrong?" Elita said in a motherly tone.

"Emmie hit me!" Serena hiccupped.

"No, no!" another set of footsteps stomped in to reveal an angry Emerald holding the broken dino-toy. "She bwoke toy! Bwoke toy!"

"You hit me!"

"'Cause you stupid!"

"No, you stupid!"

"No, _you_!"

"Alright, enough! Both of you," Optimus said sternly, and both girls fell silent, aside from Serena's sniffling. The girls had been fighting over the littlest of things, and lately the parents had heard yelling and crying, things being thrown and things breaking. "Now, what happened?"

"Sewena bwoke my toy!" Emerald pouted, waving the dino-toy around; the tail was bent and hanging on by a piece of wire, and one arm was missing.

"Emmie hit me! I said I sowwy!" Serena cried, rubbing a sore spot on her helm.

"You no say sowwy!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Emerald and Serena, enough!" Optimus said in a firm tone as he stood tall, and the twins ceased bickering.

Elita sighed and looked to Serena. "Serena, honey, did you break Emerald's dino-toy?" she asked gently.

The pigtailed Autobot tot sniffled and rubbed her eyes. "I-I no mean to! I step on taiw and it bweak! I said I sowwy but Emmie hit me! Fwoo a bwock at me!"

"Oh, really?" Optimus said, trying to hide a smirk behind his battle mask, then looked to Emerald. "And Emmie, why did you hurt your sister after she said she was sorry?"

Now it was Emerald's turn to start crying. "M-My fav'ite toy! She-She bweak it. I no heaw hew say sowwy. I get mad and fow bwock. I wike dis toy! My fav'ite! Now it bwoken!" Then little Emmie burst into tears and sobbed. Serena felt sorry and hugged her.

Elita-1 smiled. "Oh, isn't that sweet?" she said softly to Optimus.

Optimus moaned in agreement and bent down to his daughters' heights. "Now, here's what we'll do. Serena, why don't you say sorry to Emerald again because she didn't hear you, and Emmie, why don't you apologize for hitting your sister?" Both twins nodded, apologized to one another and they hugged. "There we go. And don't worry, Em. I'll make sure your Uncle Wheeljack patches this right up." Emerald smiled and giggled happily. "Now you two go and play. And play nice!" The girls scampered out of the room and back to their own. Prime chuckled as he stood up. Then something dawned on him. "Oh, yeah, that reminds me."

"What?" Elita asked as she resumed polishing herself.

"We need someone to watch the girls while we're out."

Elita-1 gasped. "Oh, that's right! We never even thought about it, did we? Oh, and everyone we know is going to be at the club with us."

Optimus Prime then had a thought. "Not everyone."

"What do you mean?"

"I have an idea. I just hope that they will listen to reason." Optimus then headed into the basement and activated their own Teletraan computer, sending out a signal for visual communication. "Optimus Prime to the Dinobots. Grimlock, come in," he called.

* * *

"ME, GRIMLOCK, NO WANT TO BABY-SIT LITTLE BABIES!" the leader of the Dinobots roared.

"Me no want to, too," said Slag.

"Me no want to, three!" Swoop yelled.

Optimus sighed. "I understand this is out of your league, but we really need your help. We have no one else to look after our daughters and you are the only ones we can count on."

"Sounds BORING," Grimlock huffed. "We no do it. Goodbye."

"Please, Grimlock?" Elita-1 pleaded. "It's only for a couple of micro-cycles. Besides, one of our daughters loves dinos. I'm sure she'll have a blast with you guys. Please? You're our only hope?"

Grimlock tapped his chin. "Well...Okay. We do it. But only because nice, pretty lady ask us to, not because we want to."

"Oh, thank you, Grimlock. Just be over here by the end of the hour." Then the screen went dark. "This should be interesting," she told Optimus.

"Indeed. I don't care for a mess. I just hope the house stays in one piece."

Surprisingly, the Dinobots arrived exactly when they were supposed to. They knew because the door was broken down. They all piled into the living room, looking around. "This place small!" said Snarl.

"Or maybe we BIG," said Sludge.

They noticed Optimus and Elita coming downstairs with two little Autobots right behind them. "Oh, good you're here," said Elita-1.

"Yes. We here. But we not like it," Grimlock huffed again.

"Well, it's only for a couple micro-cycles," said Optimus. "I'm sure you'll manage."

"Where little ones?" asked Swoop.

"Yeah, yeah. Where, where?" Slag said.

"Here," Elita said, looking behind her. "Oh, come on out. Don't be shy." Then a little red Autobot with pigtailed appendages peered from behind her leg. "Dinobots, this is Serena. She's a little timid."

"She tiny," said Grimlock.

"And this is Emerald," Optimus said, gesturing to a bright green, ponytailed Autobot girl hugging his leg. She was smiling at them.

"She also tiny."

"Emmie," Optimus said, "these are the Dinobots. They are like larger versions of your toys. Grimlock, would you transform?"

"Me Grimlock transform when Grimlock want to!" Grimlock exclaimed, folding his servos over his chest.

"Oh, not for me, but for Emerald. She's the one who like dinos."

"Me still no do it."

"P'ease?" said a tiny voice. Grimlock looked down at the green Autobot tot. "P'ease?" Grimlock wouldn't admit he found the green tot 'kind of' cute; he sighed and agreed to do it, and he transformed into his dinosaur mode. Little Emerald became excited and ran circles around Grimlock, then hugged his tail, holding on tight.

"Aww, she likes you," Elita-1 giggled.

"Hey, let go of Grimlock's tail!" Grimlock demanded the girl and flicked his tail, but Emerald never let go; she only squealed and giggled. "She won't let go!"

"Oh, Optimus, Astrotrain is here," Elita said.

"Okay. You guys have fun. I know the girls will," Optimus Prime said, and he and Elita headed outside, climbed into Astrotrain, and they headed off.

Grimlock continued thrashing his tail around, but Emerald simply refused to let go. "Me, Grimlock, king! And as king, me, Grimlock, say let go of Grimlock's tail!"

"Me, Swoop, get girl off leader's tail!" said Swoop as he grabbed the girl by her sides, but Emerald only began giggling. "What so funny? Why you laugh?"

"Tickwe," peeped Serena.

"What is 'tickwe'?"

"Me don't know," snarled Snarl.

"Me don't care. Get girl off!" Grimlock roared. Exhausted, he lowered his tail and panted.

Serena waddled over to Emerald, who still held fast to Grimlock's tail, and tickled her on her sides. The ponytailed Autobot girl squealed and giggled, then she loosened her grip and Serena pulled her off.

"Finally!" Grimlock said and transformed back into robot mode, then pointed at Emerald. "Me, Grimlock, think you pest." But Emmie only giggled.

Sludge felt something tap his leg and looked down to see Serena there. "What you want, baby?" he asked. Serena opened her mouth and pointed at it, then to their kitchen. "Me, Sludge, don't know what that mean."

"Hungwy!" Serena said while rubbing her tummy.

"Me hungwy, too," Emerald said, standing up.

"So? What we do about it?" asked Grimlock.

"Goodie, goodie!" the twins chirped.

"What 'goodie, goodie'?" asked Snarl.

Emerald and Serena giggled as they went into the kitchen. Serena took one of the stools from the table and placed it next to the counter. Then she got on her hands and knees, and Emmie used her as a stool to climb up onto the stool, then pulled herself up onto the counter. Emerald then pressed a button on the wall and a cabinet opened, and she pointed eagerly to a silver canister. "Goodie! Goodie!"

"Ohh!" exclaimed Slag. "Slag think 'goodie' mean 'food'!"

Grimlock headed for the cabinet, took out the silver canister and twisted the cap off, revealing bright pink, chewy shards. "Energon goodie!"

"Goodie! Goodie!" Emmie and Serena cheered.

However, when Emerald tried to grab some, Grimlock took the canister away. "No!" he said. "These goodies are for Grimlock! Not puny Autobot babies!"

Emerald pouted and glared. "No!" she whined and grabbed the canister. "Mine!"

"Mine, mine!" cried Serena, hopping up and down to try and reach.

"Me, Swoop, want goodie!"

"Me, too!" said Snarl.

"Me, three!" said Slag.

Me...uh...what come after three?" asked Sludge.

"Nooo! Mine, mine, mine!" Emerald yelled while Grimlock grabbed her by her legs and tried to get her to let go of the canister.

"Mine, too! Mine, too!" Serena pouted. "Shawe!"

"Grimlock say let go of canister!" Grimlock roared. However with his tugging and Emerald's strong grip, the rivets that held the metal canister in place came undone, and the metal plates separated, spilling the goodies all over the floor.

"Goodie!" Serena peeped as she began nibbling on a piece.

"Goodie, yay!" Emmie cheered and wriggled out of Grimlock's grip, landing on the floor and began tearing off chunks of the chewy goodies.

"Me, Grimlock want goodie!" Grimlock said and he snatched a few, shoving them into his mouth.

"We want goodie, too!" the other Dinobots exclaimed, and they helped themselves.

* * *

"And so he said, 'I think I've got a hole in my head that needs repairing too'!" Mirage said into the microphone, and the crowd laughed uproariously.

"Ahaha! Ahh, nothing's better than a good meal and a show, right?" said Ratchet with a laugh, and the Autobots and Decepticons around him agreed. Well, all but one.

Elita looked to her right and saw Optimus staring at his drink, almost sulking. "Hey, what's wrong? You should be having a good time, not sulking around and being depressed."

Optimus Prime sighed. "I know, and I am," he said, "but, I just can't help but worry about the girls. In case you haven't noticed, Grimlock and the other Dinobots are not quite the smartest...nor gentlest."

"Hey, don't forget it was your idea to have the Dinobots babysit the girls."

"I know. So if anything happens to them, it's my responsibility." Then, Optimus slid his drink across the counter to the bar tender. "Refill, please!"

* * *

The Dinobots stood there covering their audio processors while the twins ran around the room, screaming and thrashing and throwing their toys in the air. Serena ran around waving the aluminum bear around, and Emerald constantly threw metal blocks throughout the room, many of them hitting the Dinobots. "Grimlock's audio processors hurt!" cried the Dinobot leader.

"Slag's hurt, too!" whined Slag.

"Me, Sludge, think Autobot babies have too many goodies," said Sludge.

"Me, Snarl, think that, too!"

"OWW!" cried Swoop when a block hit his head, and little Emmie laughed and pointed. "Me, Swoop, now know how Optimus Prime feel when pretty Autobot hit him in head."

"Leader, make Autobot babies stop! They too noisy!" said Slag.

"Me, Grimlock, say Autobot babies be quiet now!" When they didn't obey the first time, Grimlock then transformed into his dinosaur mode, stomped his feet and roared ferociously. The twins froze where they stood, their optics wide and their mouths ajar. At first they seemed surprised, then they appeared frightened, and that was when they began to cry, clinging to each other. The Dinobot leader was surprised and confused. "Wait. Why little Autobot babies' optics leak?"

"Me, Slag, think you scare Autobot babies," said Slag.

The twins sobbed and hiccupped. "S-Scawy," whined Serena and pointed to Grimlock.

The Dinobot leader seemed very confused then. "Yes. Me, Grimlock, scary. Very, very scary. Me, Grimlock, scare away puny Decepticons during war. Why that make your eyes leak?"

"M-Meanie," Emerald whimpered.

"Grimlock no meanie. Grimlock king!" said Grimlock.

"King of meanies!" Serena pouted.

"No! Grimlock king of EVERYTHING!"

"No!" Emmie yelled. "Daddy king!"

"We pwincesses! Daddy say so!" Serena sassed as she got up, crossing her arms.

Emerald stood up and did the same thing. "Yeah! An' pwincesses do what they wanna!" Then she reached down, grabbed a block and chucked it at Grimlock, striking him on his snout.

"OWW!" Grimlock roared, grabbing his nose.

Emmie laughed and copied him, grabbing her face. "OW!"

"Hey," said Grimlock, "you no copy me!"

"Hey, you no copy me!" Emerald repeated, mimicking Grimlock's deep tone.

"You not funny!"

"You not funny!"

"Me, Grimlock say stop that!"

"Me, Grimlock say stop that!"

While Emerald was having the time of her life, the leader of the Dinobots was getting aggravated. "That it!" Grimlock yelled and made a move to grab her. But Emerald jumped back, and she and her twin scampered off up the stairs giggling. "Me, Grimlock, going to get you!" He transformed back into robot mode and headed up the stairs with the other Dinobots right behind him. "Dinobots, spread out! Look everywhere! I want them alive!"

"Yes, sir!" said the Dinobots and they scattered across the second floor. Grimlock went to look in Optimus and Elita's room, Slag and Snarl searched the twins' room, and Sludge and Swoop checked the bathroom. But they couldn't find the girls anywhere.

"They not in here," said Swoop, sticking his head in the metallic porcelain throne.

"Not here," called Snarl as he searched the closet.

"Not here, either," said Grimlock.

"Where they go?" asked Sludge.

"Maybe they go away forever?" said Slag.

"They missing? Yay! They stay missing for all Snarl care!"

"No!" said Grimlock. "We find them, or Optimus and pretty Autobot lady be mad at us."

Sludge stamped his foot. "Me, Sludge, no scared of Optimus Prime...but...Sludge scared of angry, pretty Autobot lady. We find Autobot babies now!"

"Look everywhere...again!" ordered Grimlock. He went back into the parents' room and did a second search, but still found nothing. Then he heard a sound coming from the wall. "What make that noise?" He turned his head toward the sound, and realized he hadn't searched the parents' closet. "Hmm. Maybe Autobot babies get stuck in wall." He knocked on the wall. He heard a tiny knock back and some giggling. "Dinobots, I find Autobot babies! They stuck in wall!"

"No!" came Emerald's voice.

"Not stuck?" asked Grimlock.

"No, siwwy!" giggled Serena. "The wed button! Pwess wed button!"

"Wed button?" Grimlock looked at the buttons on the wall; there was a blue, green and red button. "There no 'wed' button. There a 'red' button!"

"Dat button!" said Emmie.

"_Dat_ button? You Autobot babies speak different language," Grimlock grumbled. "Do Grimlock push red button?"

"Yes!" the twins said simultaneously.

Grimlock pressed the 'wed' button, and the closet door slid open. Then the twins came tumbling out over each other across the floor, squealing and giggling. "You naughty, naughty Autobot babies! Grimlock will get you!"

"No!" the girls cried and ran out laughing, only to be swooped up by Swoop. They fretted and kicked and squirmed, but the Dinobot held them fast.

"Me, Swoop, think it their bedtime," he said.

"Me, Grimlock, think that, too." The Dinobots headed for the cluttered room and placed the twins in their cribs. "Now tiny Autobot babies go to sleep," Grimlock told them and they headed out to leave the room.

"Wait!" cried Serena.

Grimlock stomped back in. "What do tiny babies want now?"

"Teww stowy," Serena said shyly.

"_Stowy_?"

"Mama an' Daddy teww us bedtime stowy," said Emerald.

"Me, Grimlock, no story-teller! That Kup!"

"P'ease?"

"Petty P'ease?" cooed Serena, batting her eyes.

Grimlock groaned. "Grimlock say go to sleep!"

"Stowy! Stowy now!" Emerald demanded, standing up in her crib and jumping around.

Grimlock groaned again. "Tiny Autobot babies stubborn." Then he grabbed a chair, placed it in the center of the room and sat down. "What stowy?"

"Eawf stowies!" exclaimed Serena.

"Waw stowies!" said Emerald.

"Earth and war stories?"

"Yes!" the twins nodded.

"Me, Slag, want to hear story," said Slag as he entered the room and sat down in front of Grimlock.

"Me, too, Swoop, too," said Swoop, and he and the rest of the Dinobots crowded in front of him.

"Okay," Grimlock said, "Me, Grimlock, tell war story on Earth. Once upon a time, there was a Dinobot named Grimlock..."

* * *

Astrotrain came to a steady stop in front of the Prime residence, lowered the hatch, and Optimus Prime and Elita stepped out. "We had fun, you guys!" she exclaimed to the others still inside. "Have a good night!" Then she and Optimus headed up the stairs to their front door. "I'd have to imagine the place looks a mess."

"Do not jinx it, Elita," Optimus said as he opened the door and they stepped inside to find the living room trashed. "You jinxed it."

"Oh, my. The Energon goodie canister is completely broken. Look," Elita-1 said as she showed him the split canister.

"No doubt Grimlock's handy work," Optimus chuckled as he sorted up the toys and began putting them in the toy bin. "Can't help but notice it's completely empty."

"Yes. Speaking of Grimlock, where is he and the others?"

"They had better not left the girls all alone," Prime grumbled as he headed up the stairs with Elita close behind. Optimus went straight for the twins' room and stopped under the threshold.

"What? What is it?" Elita asked, but Optimus shushed her and showed her. "Ohh..." The twins were fast asleep in their cribs, tucked up under their blankets, and the Dinobots were all asleep on the floor, while Grimlock was propped up in the chair. "Now that is the cutest thing," she whispered.

Optimus lightly laughed and went to Grimlock, gently shaking him awake. "Grimlock, wake up."

The Dinobot leader was startled awake, but Optimus covered his mouth and shushed him. "Optimus Prime and pretty Autobot lady home already?"

"Yes, we're home," Optimus said barely above a whisper. "And you and the Dinobots are free to go."

"Finally," Grimlock grumbled. He got up and kicked the other Dinobots awake. Sleepily, they all got up and filed out of the room with Grimlock behind them.

"Oh, and Grimlock," Optimus said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "thank you for your help."

"Yes, yes," the Dinobot leader muttered and left the room. Optimus shook his head with a chuckle and went to help Elita pick up the girls' room. When they finished, they each kissed their daughters good night and headed for their room.

"I must admit," he told Elita, "Grimlock and his team did much better than I had anticipated."

"Yes," she replied, laying down on her berth. "Well, sometimes, even unintelligent beings can do impressive things. I am just relieved the house is still in one piece. Good night."

"Good night," Optimus yawned, and he and his sparkmate went into recharge.

Outside, when the Dinobots were marching home, Grimlock glanced back at the house. "Maybe Grimlock like watching tiny Autobot babies," he wondered, then he followed his teammates home.


	6. Runaway

**New Additions to the Family—A Transformers G1 Fan Fiction**

**Summary: Emerald was known to be a trouble maker and a handful from the moment she was born. But lately she's been causing strife for her sister and her parents, but she doesn't know until it's too late.**

* * *

Optimus awoke abruptly to a powerful force on his stomach plate and let out a loud "_OOF!_" After a couple seconds he heard familiar giggling, and the forceful blows on his abdomen were repeated in the same spot.

"Daddy, Daddy, up, up!" the pony-tailed, 3-ano-cycle old youngling exclaimed directly in Optimus Prime's audio preceptors, continuing to jump on her knee joints on his stomach. "Breakfast time! Eat, eat! Mommy say so!"

Optimus groaned as he reached up, grabbed her under her arms and held her in the air. "Okay, okay, Emerald," he said in a wheezing tone while Emmie thrashed in his grip. "I'm up, I'm awake." He sat up and placed his restless daughter on the floor. "I will meet you down stairs," he told her, and he watched her skip and giggle out of his room and down the stairs. Prime rubbed his sore belly before getting out of bed and making his way down the stairs, the delightful smell of Energon egg greeting him. Once he reached the bottom, he found his daughters shoving mouthfuls of their Energon breakfast down their throats and his sparkmate placing two full plates on the table in front of two empty stools.

"Oh, look who decided to get out of bed," his lover teased as she took a seat.

He sat across from her at the table and chuckled. "Well, I was up all night handling the girls, and going through paperwork."

"Paperwork?" Elita scoffed as she took a bite.

"Hey, the war may be over, but my duties as Prime aren't." Elita and the twins started giggling then. "What? What's so funny?"

Serena giggled and pointed, "Daddy say 'doody'!" Optimus wore a blank look then groaned a laugh as he ran a hand over his face.

Emerald giggled and waved around her spoonful of Energon egg. "Daddy silly!" Of course, that spoonful immediately emptied and flew across the kitchen, a majority of it landing on her father, which only made her giggle more.

Optimus roughly exhaled a frustrated sigh as he wiped away the food on his face. Emerald basically did this every morning at breakfast, and it was starting to become a problem. While Elita and Serena didn't seem as bothered, it had begun to annoy him severely. "Emerald, stop playing with your food and eat," he told her, sternly but gently.

Young Emmie thought he was playing around, so she scooped up a spoonful and deliberately flung it across the table, chunks of Energon landing on the three of them. While she giggled and clapped, Optimus had finally had enough and jumped from his chair. "Emerald, I told you to stop!" This time, the youngling stopped laughing and looked at her father in surprise, same with her twin and her mother. Optimus stared at the three of them, took a deep breath then excused himself from the table, and he headed into the hall, down the stairs into the basement. Elita-1 just sat there stunned for a moment, then she told the girls to continue eating and followed him.

They could both hear them conversing, "Want to tell me what that was?" said their mother.

"I...I don't know, honestly. I didn't mean to snap at her like that," Optimus sighed. "But she has to stop throwing food around."

"She is a child, Optimus."

"Indeed, but old enough to learn some manners."

"Oh, you're just upset because you got food behind your mask instead of on it."

"Well, that, and that she does it constantly, every single morning. How do you not find it aggravating to clean up such a mess? Wait, don't answer yet. You don't clean it up. I do!"

"Yes, yes, it is a matter that needs to be handled," Elita sighed, "fairly, yet firmly."

The girls continued to listen for a while. Serena turned toward her twin sister and pointed her Tupperware at her. "They think you bad girl."

Emerald huffed. "I am no bad girl!"

"You make big mess, and make Daddy mad."

"That no make me bad girl!"

"Uh-huh, it does."

"Nu-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"You stupid!"

"No, you!"

"You!" Emmie's little temper got the best of her and she threw her cup at her sister, hitting her on the side of her helm.

Serena yelped and leaned back far enough for her to fall out of her chair and onto the floor, landing in a puddle of Energon from the knocked over cup. Shakily, she sat up and began to whimper; the fall frightened her more than her twin hitting her with the cup, but she began to howl nonetheless, large Energon tears rolling down her cheeks.

Optimus Prime and Elita-1 heard their daughter's cry and ran back up the stairs to find her on the floor in a puddle of Energon, and a cup laid by her feet. "Serena!" they exclaimed and ran to her side. "What happened?" her mother asked.

The pigtailed youngling continued to cry, but she pointed to her sister, who just stood up on her chair, trying to see. Emerald had that look where she didn't know she did something very wrong. Elita took Serena into her arms while Optimus made a b-line for his second daughter. "Did you do this?!" he asked angrily. Emerald shook her head no. "Do not lie to me, Emerald!"

"Optimus, please," Elita said.

Prime held a hand up to her. "What happened, Em? And I want the truth."

Tears began to fill up the Autobot tot's eyes as she sniffled. "Sister call me bad girl!"

"That doesn't give you the right to throw your cup at your sister. That was very bad of you, Emerald. Go to your room, right now." Optimus pointed up the stairs with a strict look in his eyes. The light-green Autobot tot cried as she got down from her chair and ran up the stairs. Optimus sighed heavily, shaking his helm. He absolutely hated scolding his daughters, but he knew he couldn't be soft with them forever.

"Well," Elita said as lightly bounced Serena, "this is a nice start off to a Saturday morning. Come on, Serena, let's get you cleaned up." Then the two headed upstairs and went into the bathroom.

Optimus sighed again and handled the mess in the kitchen, then journeyed upstairs to his daughters' room. Peeking through the slight ajar door, he could see Emerald curled up on her berth, crying, her back facing the door. Slowly and quietly, he entered the room and knelt down beside her berth. Emerald didn't move, she just continued to cry. Optimus shushed her and rubbed her back gently. "There, there, Em. It's alright," he spoke softly.

Emerald sniffled, slowly turned towards him and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Daddy," she moaned, "...do you still love me?" Optimus seemed shocked at the question. "Do you like sister better?"

"Emerald, why would you ask such a thing?" he asked her.

The ponytailed Autobot tot rubbed her eyes again and whined. "You always mad at me. You never mad at sister. You like sister better, don't you?" Then she began to cry again.

Optimus felt his spark crack at her words. He carefully lifted her up and placed her in his lap. "Emerald, I could never love someone more than another. I love you as much as I love your sister and your mother. And, sweetspark, I don't like getting mad at you. But, you have to learn to stop something when someone tells you to. And to not throw cups at your sister. And you are not a bad girl, Emmie. You just still have more to learn. So does Serena. But know that I will always love you."

"L-Love you, too, Daddy," Emerald whimpered and clung to him.

"Okay," he said, rubbing her back. "And when your sister gets out of the tub, I'd like you to say sorry for throwing the cup at her. Alright?"

"Yes, Daddy."

* * *

That evening, the Prime family all curled up on the couch together and watched their favorite program on their television set, where bots would mail in recordings of other bots doing mishaps or fails. The family laughed at one Autobot trying to transform while he was stumbling out of a bar, but he kept face planting the ground. Then another video played, and a Decepticon was being spun around by other Cons, then he became dizzy and tried to transform. Even though his transformation was successful, he couldn't quite fly straight and kept taking nose dives. The Cons in the video laughed uproariously, so did the audience in the show, and so did the Prime family.

"Now this is a nice way to end a Saturday," Elita said with a laugh.

"Indeed," said Prime.

"Ow!" exclaimed Serena.

"What is it, little one?"

"Emmie pinch!"

"No I didn't!" Emerald sassed.

"Did, too!"

"Girls, please," said Elita and the girls were silent. "Emerald, did you pinch your sister?"

"No!" Emerald cried.

"Liar!" Serena pouted.

"I no liar!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"Girls, enough. Both of you," Optimus said sternly, and the twins became quiet again. He sighed; he had a feeling in his fuel tanks that what took place earlier this morning would happen again. "Em, calm down. Serena, you are fine. Now can we all settle down and enjoy the program, without arguing?"

"Yes, Daddy," the girls mumbled.

"Alright." Optimus heaved a sigh, and the family resumed watching the television, where the CNN, Cybertron's News Network, interrupted the program with an important message of escaped Insecticons lurking in the city of Iacon. But it wasn't long before there was another...accident.

"M-Mommy..." moaned Serena.

"Shh, Serena," said Elita.

"But Mommy..." Serena whined, her upper legs twitching and pressing together.

"Serena, please quiet down," Optimus said.

"Yeah, be quiet," Emmie spat.

"Emerald," the father groaned, and the ponytailed twin became silent.

However, Serena's quick, light whimpers continued for a little while longer. Then suddenly they stopped. Curious, Elita glanced down at her to see Serena had her optics tightly shut, her lips pressed together, and her cheek plates flushed. Then Elita-1 felt something wet run along her leg and looked down. "Oh, my Primus!"

She jumped up in shock and pointed. Optimus and Emerald looked to where Elita pointed and saw a distressed Serena sitting in a puddle. A growing puddle. "Oh, my!" Optimus exclaimed as he and Emmie got up from the couch.

Emerald laughed and pointed. "Sister made a yucky! She peed herself!"

"Emerald, enough," Optimus scolded. Serena then hid her flushed face in her hands and began to cry.

"Oh, it's my fault," Elita sighed woefully. "Was this what you were trying to tell me, Serena?" she asked her daughter. Serena sniffled and nodded then resumed her crying. "Oh, sweetspark, I am so sorry. I should have known. You haven't quite learnt potty training, have you?"

" 'Cause she stupid," Emerald teased.

"Emerald, I told you that was enough!" Optimus said angrily, and the emerald-green tot took a step back. "I thought we had settled this earlier, Em. Go to your room."

Emmie gasped and glared. "No!"

"Emerald Prime, go to your room, now!" Optimus spoke harshly, flashing his optics. Emerald just stuck out her tongue. Prime had finally had enough. He grabbed Emerald by her arm and led her up the stairs, despite the girl's struggling and yanking.

Meanwhile, Elita lifted Serena off the couch and cleaned up the mess, then led her to the bathroom to clean her up for the second time that day. "Hey, now," she said, "at least you'll be smelling sweet."

In the twins' room, Optimus Prime still held a firm grip on Emerald's wrist. "Let go!" she demanded. "Let go, you meanie!"

Optimus roughly placed Em on her bed. "Emerald, you will stay there until further notice," he said sternly.

"No!" Emerald yelled and jumped back up.

Optimus placed her back on the bed, but she continued getting off. The Prime had finally lost his patience with her, placed her on his knee, and spanked her. Emerald let out fearful yelps, her optics widened to their limits. Prime's hand stung madly; he was angry and shocked and overwhelmed all at once. What did he just do? Perhaps he should have threatened her before acting fast. The room was quiet for a moment before any of them made a move. Optimus laid her back on her bed and stood up. "Stay here...until I say you can come out," he said, and he hurriedly left the room.

Emmie laid there, completely stunned, shuddering and whimpering. She couldn't believe her father...hit her like that. While lost in her shock, she was brought back to reality at the sound of her parents talking.

"I honestly don't know what to do, Elita," Optimus sighed.

"Well...neither do I," Elita shrugged.

"Why does she always misbehave?"

"She doesn't _always_ misbehave, Prime. She's still young, she and her sister have much to learn."

"I know, I know...but why is it her? Serena is never like this."

Emerald began to sniffle and tears flooded her optics. She sat up and wiped her eyes. "I-I-It true...They like sister better..." She blocked out the rest of their conversation.

"Do you think...we might be doing something wrong? That we are the ones to blame?" Optimus asked woefully.

"Perhaps," Elita sighed. "Remember; Fair, but firm. Don't be too hard, but don't be too soft on them, too."

Optimus nodded, then ran a hand over his face. "I still cannot believe I drove myself to spanking her. I...I've never had to do that with Emmie. I don't know if it hurts me more than it hurts her, or the other way around."

"Well," Elita said, pressing against his chest, "we are parents...and not all parents are perfect. And neither are their kids. If we have issues, we need to get through them together."

Optimus sighed. "I'll...give Em a moment...then I'll go and talk to her again." Elita gave him a kiss and returned to the bathroom, lifting Serena out of the tub and drying her off. Prime stayed in the hall, leaning against the wall near the door to the twins' room. He waited a while before he had the guts to enter. He expected to find Emerald curled up again, crying, or probably crouched in a corner, trying to hide. Taking a deep breath, he entered.

Downstairs, Elita placed Serena in her chair at the table, offering her Energon goodies. "There now, here's a treat for my special little girl," she cooed.

"_**ELITA!**_"

Elita-1 jumped out of her seat with a yelp. In a hurry, she grabbed Serena, raced upstairs and barged into the twins' room to find a distressed Optimus Prime pacing the floor. "Optimus what is it?! What is wrong?!"

"Emerald isn't here! She's gone!" Optimus cried.

"What?!" Elita looked around to find the room completely empty. And she saw the window was open. "You think she ran away?!"

"I don't see why she wouldn't." Optimus moaned a sigh as he sat down on Emerald's berth, covering his face with his hands. "This is my fault. I must've been too hard on her. And now, who knows where in Iacon she could be?! And there are Incesticons still out there! Whether the war is over or not, they're still causing trouble!"

Elita sat Serena down and went to comfort him. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't Emerald's; no one is at fault here. Now, I'll call Prowl and have his forces search the city for a lost, emerald-colored Autobot child."

Optimus abruptly stood up. "You can do that. I am going to go look for her myself." And with that he bolted out the door, down the stairs, and out of the house. He immediately transformed and sped off down the street, flashing his headlights.

Elita ran down the stairs and dialed the CPD. "Prowl? It's urgent!"

* * *

Optimus searched every street, every alley, every corner he came across, flashing his lights in all directions. "Emerald!" he cried. "Emmie, where are you?!" He scanned far and wide, did full circles around the city, and no sign of his missing daughter. He felt himself beginning to overheat with worry, so he transformed into his biped mode and took a breather.

"Optimus!" Prime looked over to see Ironhide, Bluestreak and Brawn rushing over. "What's the rush?!" asked Bluestreak. "I haven't seen you this excited since you learned Elita was with twins."

"It's Emerald," Optimus said, struggling to calm down. "She's gone missing!"

"What?!" the bots exclaimed.

"Well, that explains why Prowl has his forces in a hurry," said Brawn.

"What happened? Why'd she run away?" asked Ironhide.

"I...I'd rather not talk about it. The important thing is finding her and bringing her home, and I'll do whatever it takes to find her."

They heard the sound of mechanical buzzing above them and they looked up to see a cluster of three Insecticons flying over their heads. Optimus glared and he began to follow them.

* * *

Emerald waddled slowly down the street, hugging herself tightly, sticking to the shadows. Large tears rolled down her cheek plates and dripped onto the ground. Her tiny spark cramped and felt heavy. She was tired, and she didn't know where she was. She didn't care. She wandered through the city until she came across a random alley, completely empty and deserted. She braved the darkness and journeyed down the alley; once she reached the end, she crouched down in the furthest corner, hugged her knees and cried.

She felt so lonely, but she didn't dare think of returning home. Her family liked her twin better than her. She felt Prime lied to her. She felt betrayed...Why did she feel those things? She didn't know, nor did she care.

Emmie suddenly heard a loud buzzing noise above her head and looked up to see three large, green bots with giant red eyes, hovering over the alley she hid in. And they began to lower. She whimpered and hid her face in her hands as the three bug-like bots landed in the alley, stalking their way towards her.

"Well, well, it's the missing Autobot girl-girl," hissed one.

"Aww, she looks scared and lonely-lonely," spat another.

"Don't be frightened, little one-one," said the third, "we won't hurt you."

Emmie fought tears and glared. "Go away!" she yelled.

"Ooh, she is feisty-feisty," said the second Insecticon.

"What did you expect from the daughter of a Prime-Prime?!" howled the first.

"She is so small-small," spoke the third. "She won't be filling...but enough for our first meal!" Emerald gasped and squirmed in her corner, letting out a scream as the Insecticons reached down to grab her.

"Insecticons!"

The three Insecticons turned around to see a large red, white and blue mech standing at the other end of the alley, pointing a blaster at them.

"Step away from my daughter!"

"Optimus Prime-Prime!" hissed one Insecticon.

"I won't tell you again!" Optimus shouted.

"Daddy!" Emerald wept.

"Insecticons, attack-attack!"

While two of the Insecticons lunged for Optimus, the third stayed behind and guarded Emerald. The angry Prime easily blew the two Insecticons away, and when they came to attack again, he handled them with hand-to-hand techniques. He wanted to rip them apart, but he knew he had to keep it clean. Prowl's police group was on their way, and his daughter was right there. Finally, to finish the two of them off, he rammed them into the wall of the alley, and they fell limp at his feet. Then he angrily marched for the remaining Insecticon.

The last but-bot thought fast and reached down, grabbing Emerald, and he held her under his arm, grasping her neck. "One wrong move, Prime, and the little girl's head will roll!" he hissed.

"You will do no such thing!" roared the Prime, pointing is blaster gun directly at the Insecticon's head. "If you mark even a single scratch on my daughter, _your_ head will roll." He glared deeply at the Insecticon, who seemed to cower under his gaze. Even Emerald had never seen him so angry.

The sound of sirens echoed through the streets, and tires came to a screeching stop. Prowl and his forces finally arrived, and just in time. Prowl transformed his servo into a megaphone and spoke through it, "Insecticons, remain where you are, and do not try to escape. We have you all surrounded. Now, release the girl!" The Insecticon hissed, making Emerald shudder and whimper. "If you do not comply, then we will use force!" shouted Prowl. Two of his officers jumped down from the roof surrounding the alley and grabbed the Insecticon under his arms. Then, it decided to release its captive. The two officers led the Insecticons into cages hauled on pick-up trucks; Prowl instructed them to head to the station without him, and he went over to the Prime. "Everything okay?"

"Yes," Optimus replied, holding his daughter close, "everything is fine. Thank you for your help, my friend."

"Anytime, Optimus," Prowl smiled, then transformed into vehicle mode and sped off.

Optimus then glanced down at his daughter. "Emerald, are you okay? A-Are you hurt anywhere?!" he asked, frantically searching for any signs of injury.

"I okay," she mumbled, still clinging to him tightly. She remembered how the Insecticon held her by her neck and whimpered softly.

But not soft enough to escape the Prime's sensitive audio preceptors. He rubbed her back soothingly. "There, there, Emmie. It's over now, you're safe. You don't have to be scared."

Emerald pulled away and looked at him as if he said something ridiculous. "I not scared, Daddy! I brave, I big girl!" Tears began to build up in her eyes and she began to hiccup. "I...n-not scared...!"

Optimus pressed her against his chest as she started to cry. "It's okay to be scared, Emmie. But it's alright now. Daddy's here...I'm here," he said calmly. Tears began to build up in his eyes and spilt over his cheeks, running down his battle mask.

Emerald noticed. "Daddy...w-why you crying?"

Optimus chuckled as he wiped away his tears, but they kept coming. "Because I was scared, scared that something awful might've happened to my little girl...and because I am happy that you are safe and in my arms again."

Emerald blinked large tears and sniffled. "But...I heard...you and Mommy..."

"Ignore what we said, Em. It means nothing to me now."

"It does to me!"

Optimus nuzzled her and sighed. "I told you before, Emmie: I could never love someone more than another. I love you as much as I love you sister and mother, and I will never, ever stop loving you, even when I become one with the Matrix."

Emerald felt this warm feeling in her spark; she couldn't explain it, but she liked it. She no longer felt lonely. She felt loved. She grasped her father around his neck and cried. "Love you, Daddy!"

"I love you, too, Emmie...with all my spark..."

They both looked to the end of the alley when they heard frantic footsteps approaching them. Elita, holding Serena, was racing towards them. "Oh, thank the Creator!" she cried as she knelt down to hug them. "Prowl told me everything. I'm so happy you two are safe!"

Serena waddled over to Emerald and hugged her tightly. "Sister okay?! No hurt?!"

Emerald was a little stunned by the hug, but she accepted it. "I okay...I sorry, sister...for being a meanie..."

"Okay," Serena said.

Optimus smiled and embraced both of his daughters, while his sparkmate embraced him. "Come...let us go home."

* * *

**Hope y'all liked! :D I'm hoping this isn't the end, so I'd like some ideas for a future chapter, please :) Be sure to Fave and Review. Thank you for reading this story :)  
**

**~BBPRIMEFAN101**


	7. Bad Dreams

**New Additions to the Family—A Transformers G1 Fan Fiction**

**Summary: After the incident with the Insecticons, Optimus Prime is overwhelmed with nightmares, but he isn't the only one being kept up at night.**

* * *

"No!"

Optimus Prime abruptly sat up in bed with a start. His spark pounded in its chamber, his chassis shuddered, and his breathing was heavy and uneven. He had that queasy feeling in his fuel tanks, and the Energon that flowed through him ran cold. He was too shocked for words, for he couldn't spit any out.

In other words, Optimus had just awoken from a nightmare, the third one that mega-cycle. Each one was about the same thing: the little incursion between him and the Insecticons. Only they didn't end the way it did in reality. His first nightmare, he was searching far and wide for his runaway daughter Emerald, but by the time he got to the alley, it was too late. The Insecticons had already done away with her. When he awoke from it, he realized he had cried in his sleep, and the remains of his daughter haunted him, and even made him ill that night. In the second nightmare, he was fighting the Insecticons, but the one holding Emmie hostage bit her, and she suddenly morphed into an Insecticon and attacked him. He knew that was nowhere near possible, but he learned on Earth that dreams can do funny things. Once again, he awoke in tears, and he refused to sleep for the rest of the night.

As for his third, it was a combination of his first and second. The Insecticons surrounded him and bit him numerous times, and he painfully morphed into one of them, completely at their mercy. They commanded him to attack Emerald. Mentally, he refused, but physically, he obeyed. He grabbed the struggling, screaming Autobot child and tore her apart with his bare hands, ignoring her pleads and howls. Then, he yanked out her spark chamber, and crushed it, and he watched the life slip from Emerald's eyes.

Optimus felt sick, very sick, but he wouldn't purge. The images of his nightmare played back in his mind. He felt tears stinging his optics and allowed them to flow. Prime curled in his legs, hugging his knees and hiding his face in his lap, trying not to sob too loud so he wouldn't awaken Elita-1. However, the pain was too much to contain, and he barked a small cry. Elita was stirred from her recharge and sat up at the sound of sobbing. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Optimus sitting up and hugging his knees, trembling uncontrollably. Overwhelmed with concern, she got up and went to him, climbing up onto his berth, hugging him tightly.

"There, there, love. It's alright. It was only a dream," she gently shushed him.

Optimus's sobs became deep, shuddering breaths. "...Horrible...so horrible..."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I don't...I-I am fine, now, Elita. Please, go back to sleep. Don't worry about me." Optimus felt a smack on the side of his helm and looked stunned at his sparkmate.

"Do not take me a fool, Optimus Prime," Elita glared. "I know you are most certainly not fine. You hardly eat, you barely sleep, you become sick from images in your head, and you tell me not to worry?!" She then felt tears building up in her eyes and quickly wiped them away.

However, Optimus saw them and sighed. "I...I am sorry...that you must see me like this, Elita. The reason I don't want you to worry is...because if you are scared...then I will be, too...I know this isn't good, but I don't wish to know how awful it is..." Optimus trailed off to wipe his eyes with his knuckles.

Elita couldn't help but laugh. "It's okay to be scared of this...Everyone is, Optimus. But, something this troubling shouldn't be concealed. It should be expressed and released, so it doesn't affect you and those you love."

Optimus sniffled and hung his head, and Elita kissed the mark she hit him at. "Thank you, my love...but, if it's alright, I still wish to not discuss it...at least not now."

Elita-1 smiled. "I understand. Perhaps we can talk about it in the morning. Now, please try and sleep, dear."

Optimus sighed. He wasn't at all tired now. "I...I'd like to get some fresh air for a moment." He got up from bed and made his way into the hall; but he stopped by the twins' room. Just to check in. Both Emerald and Serena were fast asleep in their berths, cuddling their favorite toys. Serena curled up in a ball, snuggling the aluminum bear, while Emerald was sprawled out, snoring and drooling with the dino-toy in her hand. Optimus managed a chuckle, then headed downstairs, and stepped outside. He took in deep, slow, calming breaths of Cybertron's air, trying to relax himself. He allowed the distant city sounds of Iacon distract his mind from the nightmares for a while.

After a few moments, he decided it was time to head back inside, quietly creeping up the stairs, past his daughters' room, and was about to enter his own when...

"D-Daddy...?"

Optimus turned around and saw Serena standing in the doorway of her room, clinging to the bear and her blanket. Tears flowed down her cheek plates while her bottom lip quivered. Prime was flooded with worry and knelt down to her height, and she ran to him crying, clinging. "What's wrong, Serena?" he asked, soothingly rubbing her back. "What's the matter? Did you have a bad dream?"

Serena sniffled. "U-Uh-huh..."

Optimus hugged her. "Oh, it's alright, sweetspark. It's only a dream. It can't hurt you."

"S-Scary...V-Very s-s-scary..." the tot wept.

"What happened?"

"Y-You die. T-Trying to s-save sister..."

Optimus Prime was stunned at his daughter's words. That indeed sounded horrible, especially for a 3-ano-cycle old to dream about. He hugged her even tighter. "Oh, Serena...it's okay. I am here. Nothing has happened. I'll always be here. I promise, my little one." Tears began to fill his eyes once more. He had nightmares of failing to save his daughter, and of terminating her himself, and little Serena was having nightmares of him being terminated. He knew then she knew his pain, and felt the same kind of fear.

"Daddy..."

Optimus looked up to see Emerald in the hallway, also on the brink of tears. He quivered a smile behind his battle mask and extended an arm to her. Emmie immediately ran to him and began to cry. "There, there, Em. It's okay."

"I had bad dream...Scary bug robots get me...They hurt me real bad!" Emerald cried.

Apparently, the three of them had nightmares of the same subject, but with different outcomes. Optimus became too overwhelmed and also began to cry once more. Through their tears, his daughters looked at him, wondering why he was crying, too. He hugged them tighter, nuzzling them. "I promise you both...I'll never let anything happen to you...Not ever...I love you both, very much..."

"We love you, too, Daddy," the twins said and hugged him back.

Optimus managed to smile, picked them up, and carried them to his room. He laid down on his berth, resting one girl on each side of him, and they managed to fall asleep.

Elita-1, who had listened in to the whole thing while pretending to sleep, smiled warmly and returned to recharge, knowing Optimus wouldn't be startling himself awake anymore.


	8. Nurse Optimus

"**New Additions to the Family: Nurse Optimus"**

**Summary: Optimus takes his ill youngling daughters to see Ratchet and spends the day with them trying to make them feel better.**

* * *

Optimus Prime slowly awoke from a nice, long recharge. He sat up and stretched with a yawn as the aroma of breakfast came to his senses. He looked over to his side to find Elita's berth empty. She must be up making the breakfast. Were the girls with her? It seemed quiet in the kitchen. He got up from his berth and made his way downstairs.

"Pleasant morning, Elita-1," he said.

"Pleasant morning, yourself, Optimus," Elita replied with a smile. "You sound like you've slept for a millennia."

"I feel like I have." Then he noticed neither Emerald nor Serena were around. "Where are the children? They sure wouldn't want to miss their favorite refueling time of the day."

"They are still asleep. I went to wake them but they were still so tired, so I let them rest for a little longer," Elita-1 explained. "When breakfast is ready, could you go up and wake them?"

"Of course," Optimus said, giving his helm a nod.

Only a few moments later, Elita slid Energon circles and strips onto four plates, and she placed the plates in front of each seat at the table. Once breakfast was ready, Optimus headed back up the stairs towards the room his twin daughters shared.

At first, he knocked. No answer. He knocked again and still no answer. He then entered to find one berth empty and the other occupied with two femme younglings, smothered with blankets. He smiled at the sight and quietly approached the side of the berth, kneeling down and gently shaking them awake. "Hello, there," he said in a soft, fatherly tone. "It's time to wake up." Moans and groans were his reply. He sighed and removed the blankets; he noticed as he did, the twins huddled closer to each other. He then became concerned. "Hey, there," he said, "what's wrong? Why aren't you getting up?"

"Don't wanna," moaned Emerald. Her voice sounded a little, as the humans said on Earth, nasally.

Optimus raised an optic ridge. "Why do you not want to get up?"

"Don't feel good," Serena whimpered.

"You don't feel good?" Optimus then checked them both, and he confirmed that they were not their normal selves. They both felt warm to the touch and they shivered the second he laid a hand on them. Their airways sounded congested, and the color of their optics and body armor were duller. He then wrapped them up in their blankets, picked them up and headed downstairs in a hurry.

Elita-1 noticed Optimus heading for the door out of the corner of her eye. "Where are you going with the girls? Is something wrong?"

"I am taking them to Ratchet's. They're both sick," Optimus explained. "I won't be long, just wait here." Closing the door behind him, he hopped down the steps and onto the metallic sidewalk, speed-walking to Ratchet's place. Even though driving there would be faster, carrying the girls would seem more comfortable. That, and Ratchet lived only a block away. "Do not worry, girls. Everything will be alright," he told them.

Serena let out a light cough as she asked, "W-We going to Uncle Ratchet?"

"Yes, sweetspark, we're going to see Uncle Ratchet."

"We play?" asked Emerald as she shivered, despite being wrapped in blankets and held close to the warmth of her father's spark.

"No, we do not have time to play, Emmie," Optimus said.

"Daddy, my head hurt," Serena whimpered before softly crying.

Optimus's spark broke. He wished there was something he could do for his daughter at the moment, but there was nothing. "I know, my love. But don't worry. We are almost there."

Ratchet lived not far from Optimus for plenty of reasons, one of them so he could rush over in case of any emergencies. While the grumpy medic bot wasn't too fond of Cybertronian younglings, he did consider Prime's kids family, just as he considered Optimus family, and he'd do anything in his power to make sure no harm came to them.

Ratchet heard a knock at his door that morning and opened it to see Optimus carrying two bundles of blankets. "Hello, Optimus," he greeted his friend with a warm smile.

"Hello, Ratchet."

"Hi, Uncle Rat—_choo_!" Emerald suddenly sneezed rapidly.

The medic chuckled as he allowed his leader to enter his home. "I believe the word is 'gesundheit'. Now, what can I do for ya, Prime?"

"It's my daughters," Optimus said. "They both seem to be sick, but I do not know what illness plagues their bodies. Would you mind checking them for me?"

Ratchet could see and hear the worry in his old friend, and he gave his helm a nod. "Of course. Follow me into my lab." He led Prime and the girls into his lab down in the basement of his home. The girls shivered from the cool air and huddled closer together. "Prime, if you could set them here on the examination table, I will begin examining them," he said, patting on the metal table behind him.

The girls seemed reluctant, and they didn't want to leave the warmth of their father's body. "It'll be alright, little ones," Optimus said comfortingly. "I will be right over here. Uncle Ratchet is just going to take a look at you, so you do what he says."

"Okay," the twins spoke in unison. Then Optimus sat them both on the table. "Ahh!" exclaimed Emerald. "Table cold!"

"Alrighty," Ratchet said as he helped place the blankets underneath them. He checked them physically and saw their optics were a bit greyer, same for the color of their armor. He then reached for a light. "Okay, say 'ahh', Emmie." Emerald did so, opening her mouth wide enough for Ratchet to see. "Hmm...mm-hmm. Okay. And now you, Serena. Can you say 'ahh'?" Serena seemed a bit shy but she did as Uncle Ratchet asked. "Hmm..." He put down the flashlight and pressed his hands against their foreheads. "Their core temperature is above normal. They are overheating. Optimus, how long have they been like this?"

Prime shrugged. "I do not know. I only discovered they were ill this morning when I went to wake them up."

"I see." Ratchet pulled out a stethoscope and pressed it against both of their chests. "Their sparks sound normal, that means this sickness isn't so life-threatening," he confirmed and heard a sigh of relief from Optimus.

"It cold," whined Serena, pushing away the stethoscope and shivering.

"I know, Serena, but we're almost done," Ratchet told her friendly. "And if you're both good, I'll give you a treat." The twins gasped happily before coughing. Ratchet slightly chuckled. "I was just about to check your airways. Now, both of you, lean forward." The girls did so and Ratchet pressed the stethoscope against their backs, telling them to inhale and exhale slowly. Ratchet gave his helm a nod and approached the anxious Prime. "Apparently, I only needed to do physical examinations to confirm that your daughters are ill with a case of Nasopharyngitis."

"What?" Prime and the twins asked.

Ratchet rolled his eyes and sighed. "Otherwise known as the common cold. You know, the most common sickness back on planet Earth? Spike and Carly caught it that one time."

"Oh, yes, I remember now!"

"Symptoms are usually just runny nose, nasal congestion, coughing and sneezing. Seeing that your girls are shivering and are overheating, it's doomed to get worse if they aren't kept warm." At this, Optimus jumped up, raced towards his daughters and wrapped them warmly in their blankets, cradling them in his arms; thankfully their shivering slowly came to a stop. "Yet, as harmless as it is, it's highly contagious, meaning you and Elita are in danger of catching it as well."

"I don't care if I get sick, Ratchet," Optimus declared. "I just want my daughters to get well as quick as possible."

"Well, of course they need plenty of bed rest. They cannot be up and moving around. They will need fluids, warm fluids, plenty of tissues, and do NOT let them touch things if they've wiped their mouths or noses! And be sure to give them a good soak after a while. It'll help wash away the germs that are ON their bodies and not in them, and it will make them feel better. Oh, and one last quick thing. Sparkplug once told me that such an illness can affect your behavior, so don't seem too surprised if the girls cry or throw fits most of the time."

"Many thanks, old friend," Optimus said and he left Ratchet's house in a hurry. He was relieved that his girls were not plagues by a deadly Cybertronian virus, but rather an Earthly bug. But the question is, how did they both end up sick? Could Emerald have gotten sick when she ran away, and Serena caught it from her? He didn't know. Nor did he care on how they got sick. He wanted them feeling better.

During the journey home, both Serena and Emerald moaned saying they were hot and uncomfortable and began crying, and Optimus tried to hurry home as quick as he could without bothering the girls. He never figured one block would take so long to travel. Once he arrived home, he placed the girls down in the family room, laying them on the sofa, resting their heads under their comfiest pillows and tucking them in under their blankets.

Elita rushed over to him. "Is everything alright?" she asked worriedly.

Optimus nodded. "Yes, Elita, things are just fine," he assured her. "Ratchet says they've contracted the Earthly virus known as a cold. I don't know how, nor do I care, all that matters is that we do exactly as how Ratchet recommends we take care of our daughters."

Elita nodded and knelt down beside him, rubbing the girls' foreheads. "Oh, my poor sparklings," she cooed sadly.

Emerald swallowed hard and trembled. "M-Mommy...t-thirsty..." she said, appearing ready to cry.

"Okay, sweetspark," Elita nuzzled her cheek and went to the kitchen.

"Make sure it is a warm beverage!" Optimus called. "Ratchet's orders!"

"Alright!"

Serena slowly sat up with a sniffle while she shivered. "Daddy...h-hold me...?" she asked, slightly raising her arms to him.

Optimus's spark cracked; she was so ill she didn't have the strength to hold her arms out to him. "Alright, my love," he said gently and laid her in his lap. "There. Better?" Serena abruptly sneezed and reached up her hand to itch under her nose. Luckily Optimus caught her hand from doing so. "No, no, young one. You heard what Uncle Ratchet said. You mustn't touch your nose or mouth with your hands."

"My nose itch badly!" Serena cried before sneezing again.

Optimus sighed as he watched little Serena sneeze her poor spark out. Luckily, not long after, Elita came by with some tissues, and two bowls filled with warm Energon soup. However, the girls refused to eat it.

"Yucky!" Emerald yelled and turned away from the spoonful of soup.

"Please, Emerald, you must have something in your tummy. It'll make you feel better," Elita told her.

"No! Yucky!" Emerald then looked over to her twin, who was still sneezing into a tissue Optimus held in front of her face. "Make her eat it!"

Elita sighed. "Emerald, that's not—"

"No, wait," Optimus said as he wiped Serena's nose and mouth clean. "If Serena tries the soup and Emmie sees it's good, then she'll want some, too."

"Worth a try," Elita shrugged. She got a fresh, warm spoonful and held it out to Serena. "Serena, dear, won't you try some soup?"

"Not hungry." Serena was lying, because right after she said that, her tummy growled.

"Oh, I think you are, little one," Optimus cooed as he tickled Serena's belly, making her giggle and cough.

"Come on, love," Elita said. "It will help you feel better."

Serena was still reluctant, but she opened her mouth and allowed her mother to dip the spoonful down her throat. Serena felt the warm fluid trickle down her throat and into her moaning tanks, which ceased moaning as soon as the soup entered. She then smiled and giggled. "It tickle in my tummy!"

"Well, that means your tummy is happy," Optimus said. Serena opened her mouth for another spoonful as Elita-1 dipped the soup down her throat once more.

Emerald constantly eyed what was going on. She wasn't all that hungry, but if the soup was making her twin and her twin's tummy happy... "I want some now," Emerald whimpered, feeling left out.

Optimus smiled and held the both of his girls in his lap. They both accepted spoonfuls of soup, giggling as the warm fluid filled their tanks. Not long after, the soup bowl was empty, the girls' tanks were happily filled, and they both appeared sleepy. "Why don't you two lay down and nap for a while?" he asked them.

Emmie's nose plate twitched before she sneezed, and Prime wiped her nose with a tissue while her eyes began to droop. "Not...sleepy," she said with a yawn.

"Oh, yes you are," Optimus said as he helped them lay down, tucked them under their blankets. He kissed their cheeks, realizing they were still overheated. He sighed as he watched them fall asleep and slowly got to his feet.

"I need to get to work," Elita spoke quietly. "Will you be alright taking care of the girls on your own?"

"I will be just fine," Optimus said. "You go. I'll take good care of them." Elita kissed his cheek and silently raced out the door.

When the girls awoke from their nap a couple micro-cycles later, they were not doing any better. They were snappy and cranky and irritated at the slightest things. And their colds were not helping one bit; in fact, it was only making things worse.

"Daddy, we hot!" cried Emmie with a cough.

"I know, Emerald, but you must stay under the blanket," Optimus said.

"My throat hurt!" Serena shouted hoarsely, coughing heavily. "M-make it better!" Optimus then came over with some cool Energon for her to drink. She chugged down the whole glass. "More, Daddy!"

"I'm sorry, Serena, but there is no more," Optimus told her and she began to cry.

"Throat hurrrrt!" she wept.

"Well, if you settle down and not shout, it wouldn't hurt so much," Prime suggested while rubbing Serena's tummy. "There, there. I know you're both not feeling well, but I promise to take care of you. Okay?"

"O-Okay," Serena croaked.

"_Ahh-t'choo!_" Emerald sneezed and Optimus wiped her mouth and nose with a clean tissue.

"That makes sneeze number 37 in the last ten minutes," Optimus said with a chuckle. He then realized they were out of tissues. "Oh, not good." Emerald sneezed again and a dribble of Energon mucus hung from her nose. She reached up to wipe it away. "No, no, Emmie! Uh...I'll get it," he said—and used his finger to wipe it away. He grimaced and went to the sink to wash it away. He did _**not**_ want to do that again.

He glanced at his daughters and noticed them shivering. He sighed and picked them up. "Alright, you two. I think it's time you've had a bath. We need to wash those germs off of you."

"No bath!" Serena said hoarsely and coughed.

"Yeah! No bath!" Emmie said in a nasally tone, crossing her arms.

"Yes, bath," Optimus said. "I'm sure a good soak will help you both feel better. It will help warm you both up, and it will help with your stuffy nose, Emmie." He carried them upstairs, along with their blankets, into the bathroom, ran hot water, filled the tub halfway and slowly lowered them down. "There. Better?"

"No," the twins lied.

Optimus smiled while rolling his eyes as he soaked a rag and began to scrub their bodies. Emerald slightly giggled as he washed her belly and Serena squeaked when he got under her arms. He didn't want to try and tickle them with the rag because he didn't want the girls thrashing around. He wanted them calm and relaxed while he cleaned them off. Once he finished, he drained the tub and lifted the twins out of the tub, wrapping them in towels before they could start shivering.

"Okay, let's get you two dried off, shall we?" he said as he started with Serena. He flinched when she sneezed while he dried off her helm and wiped her face with the towel. Wrapping her in her pink blanket, he moved on to Emerald, who had been itching her nose. "Emerald, no, no! That is not sanitary," he said and had her wash her hands. "That is yucky."

"But my nose itch," Em said with a sniffle. Her little nose twitched and she looked ready to sneeze at any second. Optimus quickly held the towel in front of her mouth and let her sneeze in it. Then she sighed of relief as she relaxed. "It gone," she said.

"False alarm," Optimus chuckled as he began drying her off. Once he finished, he carried them downstairs, placing them back onto the couch. "Now, I am going to make you two more soup. Just sit here and watch cartoons and I'll bring it to you. Alright?"

"Okay," the girls said, placing pillows in their laps, for when the soup comes they could place the bowls onto their laps without burning themselves.

From the kitchen, Optimus could hear Emerald letting out muffled coughs. "Em, do not cough into your hands," he told her.

"Okay," Emmie replied.

Optimus could still hear her doing muffled coughs, then came the sound of Serena whining angrily. He stepped into the living room. "What's wrong?"

"Emmie cough into _my_ hand!" Serena cried.

"Emerald!"

"You say not my hand," Emerald said innocently.

Optimus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, a human habit he picked up. "Emerald, don't cough into your hands, or your sister's hands. If you need to cough, do it to the side or into the pillow. Okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," the pony-tailed youngling whimpered, thinking he was getting mad.

Optimus saw this and sighed, kneeling down to them and kissing their helms. Their fevers were still there. "I understand being sick is no fun," he told them, "but you have to make sure you stay clean so you don't get others sick. Okay, little ones?" They both nodded. "Good."

"Daddy, hungry," Serena moaned, rubbing her tummy.

"I know, Serena, but the soup is almost finished heating up," Prime said as he headed back into the kitchen and stirred the pot full of Energon soup. "Just a few minutes more!"

The girls waited impatiently for their food to arrive while they watched cartoons. While they waited, they heeded their father's words. If they had to sneeze or cough, they did so to the side or into the pillow. If a little dribble remained, they didn't touch it; they just let the pillow absorb it, or let it dry out on the couch.

Optimus entered with their soup bowls, as well as one for himself, placing them onto the pillows. The girls picked up their spoons and dug in. "Oh, napkins, I forgot napkins," he said and headed back into the kitchen. "And tissues! We need more of those." He sat the napkins down and headed into the basement.

"My spoon too big!" Serena whined.

Emerald picked up the spoon from their father's bowl. "Use Daddy's. It smaller."

"Okay. Daddy have mine." They swapped spoons, and Emerald put Serena's into Optimus's bowl. Not long after, Optimus appeared from the basement with an unopened box of tissues.

"Alright now," he said, opening the tissue box and pressed one against his daughters' faces. "Now, blow." The girls did so and he wiped their noses clean, then got up to dispose of the used tissues and washed his hands. Once he declared himself germ-free, he settled himself down beside his daughters, retracted his mask and enjoyed his soup while the three of them watched cartoons.

Late that evening, Elita-1 arrived home to find an adorable sight: Optimus was sprawled out across the couch with a pillow under his head, and the girls were laying on his chest, cocooned in their blankets. She smiled as she turned off the television, picked up their empty soup bowls and rinsed them off. Then she gently shook Optimus awake. "Hey," she whispered.

Optimus moaned a little before opening his eyes. "Oh...you're home," he said softly.

"Do you want me to take the girls to bed?" she asked.

Optimus looked down at the twins and found them fast asleep. He gave his helm a nod and Elita slowly picked the girls up, cradling them. "Were they any trouble?" Optimus shook his head with a yawn. "Alright. Are you just gonna sleep there tonight or do I have to carry you upstairs, too?"

"No, thank you," Prime said as he sleepily got to his feet and made his way upstairs.

Elita-1 giggled and carried Serena and Emerald to their rooms, laid them in their beds and tucked them in, kissing them goodnight. She then entered her room and found Optimus already fast asleep in his berth. She smiled and kissed him goodnight as well, laid down on her berth and went into recharge for the night.

The next morning, both parents awoke to the sounds of Emerald and Serena giggling and screaming—and objects being thrown. Elita yawned and sat up, stretching. "Sounds like the girls are feeling better," she said as she got up from her berth.

"Yeah, I've noticed," Prime replied, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

"Hey, why don't we take the girls to the park? It's a lovely day out."

"Yeah, I noticed that, too. The light hurts my eyes."

Elita turned to him with a funny look on her face plate. "It hurts your eyes? But the sun has barely risen—" She then sensed something off. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Optimus wearily looked up. "O-Oh, yes. I'm..._f-fuh...haah...Huck'shooo!_" Optimus abruptly sneezed and started coughing.

Elita went straight to him and pressed her hand against his helm. "No, you are most certainly not. You are sick, Optimus Prime," she declared.

While he coughed, he tried to figure out how he could've caught the bug. Then he remembered—the pillows. He groaned and rubbed his head as he sneezed.

"Now, you get back into bed, mister," Elita ordered. "And you are in no position to stand against me." She was right. Optimus felt like he could barely stand up. He did as he was told and leaned back in bed, groaning. "Now you stay in that bed until you are well," she said, kissed his helm and headed downstairs, telling him she'd make him some soup.

As Elita-1 entered the family room and headed to the kitchen, the twins ceased playing and ran to her, hugging her. They both sounded stuffy, but their fevers appeared to have vanished, and they've stopped sneezing and coughing. "Mommy, where Daddy?" Serena asked.

"Daddy isn't feeling so well, sweetsparks," Elita replied. "That is why I'm making him soup."

"Daddy sick?" Emerald gasped. "Oh, no!"

"How?" Serena said.

"I guess he caught it from one of you," Elita said. "But that doesn't make it either of your fault. Optimus did say this illness is contagious."

"Mommy sick?" Em asked.

"No, Mommy's not sick," Elita chuckled, then slightly jumped when she heard Optimus sneeze loudly. "But poor Daddy is."

"Poor Daddy," the twins said sadly.

Then Serena had an idea. "We help make Daddy feel better!"

"Yeah!" Emerald exclaimed. "We give him soup and tissues!"

Elita chuckled. "I think that is a wonderful idea," she told them. "Here. Emerald, you carry the soup bowl and try not to spill, and Serena, you carry the tissue box."

"Okay!" the girls said and headed upstairs to Prime's room, knocking on the door.

"Come in," came a stuffy voice.

The twins entered and went to Prime's bedside. "You sick, so we take care of you," Serena explained.

"'Cause you take care of us," Emmie beamed.

"Aww," Optimus said with a sniffle. "That is very sweet of you girls to do that." He then balled up his fist and held it close to his mask as he coughed again.

"No, no, Daddy! No use hand! Not 'sanitary'," said Serena. "Use tissue!"

Optimus weakly, hoarsely laughed. "You're right, Serena," he said as he took a tissue, coughed into it a little and blew his nose.

"Soup!" Emerald held up the soup bowl. "It make you feel better."

Optimus smiled and accepted the bowl. "Thank you, Emmie," he obliged and carefully sipped the steaming bowl.

"Now you rest!" ordered Serena.

"No sneeze or cough into hands. Do it into pillow," Emerald instructed.

"And when you all germy, we give you a bath!"

Optimus nearly choked on his soup at that and wearily chuckled. "Girls, I appreciate you being my little nurses, but I do not think I need a bath—"

"Yes, bath!" Emerald exclaimed. Optimus sighed, obviously in no position either to stand against his youngling daughters. "Now eat soup and rest." Then the twins hopped up onto his berth, crawled up to his face and kissed his cheeks before jumping back down and scurrying out of the room.

Optimus coughed a chuckle as he watched them go, then flipped on the television set and enjoyed his soup while watching cartoons.


End file.
